JIFF: A Good Jewish Boy

The Story

Australian Premiere

“Hilarious and deeply moving.” - Le Parisien

“A breakthrough movie” - Première

In a small, working-class Parisian suburb, unflappable Bellisha lives with his ailing mother, Giselle. Though he’s a nice boy at heart, the 27-year-old spends his days shirking adult responsibility, preferring to tend to his mother and keep her spirits up.

However, the once vibrant Jewish community that surrounded them is rapidly fading, and Giselle is desperate to leave. Preferring his life to stay the same, Bellisha keeps an upbeat attitude even if that means lying to her about the antisemitic graffiti showing up in their building. As Giselle’s health begins to decline and tensions rise in their community, Bellisha’s boyish insouciance will be tested.

Drawing on the works of François Truffaut and Charlie Chaplin, A Good Jewish Boy is a light-hearted look at entering adulthood and all the responsibilities that come with it. Noé Debré, best known for writing the Palme d’Or winning Dheepan (Cannes 2015), makes his long-awaited feature directorial debut with this bittersweet tale.

Rating

Unclassified 15+

Duration

90 min

Cast

Michael Zindel, Agnès Jaoui

Director

Noé Debré