Her Short Film #4: “Jewish Blind Date” by Anaëlle Morf

Swiss newcomer Anaëlle Morf’s graduation short is an entertaining and touching work that leaves its viewers happy and hopeful. The short was submitted to the Cannes short film corner this year and has played at numerous film festivals, including the Jameson Cinefest in Miskolc, Hungary, where it screened in Competition.

It follows Mary Lou, a young woman who has had several rather disappointing love affairs with goys (non Jews) which makes her decide to revert to her religious roots and marry a practicing Jew. To do so, she has to attend a Shidduh, a match-making event meant to lead to marriage. She is determined to make a good impression, as this Shidduh is, according to her, her last chance to make a success out of her life.

Morf delves into questions of religious identity here, from a highly personal place, without however putting too much emphasis on this aspect but rather by embracing this personal aspect as something that has inspired this story. It is for that precise reason that Jewish Blind Date succeeds. It is raw and natural all the while keeping the emotions and humor balanced. She never goes overboard and maintains a tight grip on her material in terms of directing. Although it has comical elements, it also delivers an important message of peace, love and understanding. It is a film about self-confidence, tolerance and compromise; a universal story that can touch anyone from any part of the world regardless of their religion. It also shows how people turn to religion in desperate times and even though not everyone will agree, many will identify with it because of its universal characteristic, light tone and enchanting characters. Never criticizing the Jewish religion, Morf’s short is also edifying, informative and offers a peek into the Jewish lifestyle, customs and culture from a different perspective, and with therefore, a refreshing approach.

Charming, irreverent, compelling and original, Jewish Blind Date gains in entertainment, sincerity and delight as it unfolds. A very good graduation short, it clearly hints at a bright future in film for Morf.

 

 

Production: ECAL/Dreampixies (Switzerland 2015). Executive producer: Emmanuel Gétaz. Director: Anaëlle Morf. Screenplay: Anaëlle Morf. Cinematography: Tangi Zahn. Production Design: Michel Imhof. Costume design: Aidan Büchi. Editing: Souliman Schelfout

Cast: Estelle Darnault, Axel Fernández, Raphael Vachoux, Joëlle Séchaud, Fabien Ferrari, Sarah Cohen

Color – 15:54 min.

 

This short film was reviewed at the 2016 Jameson Cinefest. 

Tara Karajica

Tara Karajica is a Belgrade-based film critic and journalist. Her writings have appeared in "Indiewire," "Screen International," "Variety," "Little White Lies" and "Film New Europe," among many other media outlets, including the European Film Academy’s online magazine, "Close-up" and Eurimages. She is a member of the European Film Academy, the Online Film Critics Society and the Alliance of Women Film Journalists as well as the recipient of the 2014 Best Critic Award at the Altcine Action! Film Festival. In September 2016, she founded "Yellow Bread," a magazine dedicated entirely to short films, ranked among the 25 Top Short Film Blogs and Websites on the Planet in 2017. In February 2018, she launched "Fade to Her," a magazine about successful women working in Film and TV and in 2019, she was a member of the Jury of the European Shooting Stars (European Film Promotion). She is currently a programmer for live action shorts at PÖFF Shorts, Head of the Short Film Program and Live Action Shorts programmer at SEEFest and Narrative Features Programmer at the Durban International Film Festival. Tara is a regular at film festivals as a film critic, moderator and/or jury member.

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