STAY WITH US
Comedy, Semi-documentary
2023, 93 min., France, French with English subtitles
French-Jewish entertainer Gad Elmaleh (one of France’s best-loved comedians) takes a journey of spiritual discovery in this poignant, warmly humorous self-portrait. Fusing fictional and autobiographical elements, Elmaleh directs and stars — alongside his Jewish-Moroccan family — in this religious “coming out.” Harboring a crisis of faith, the actor-comedian returns home to Paris after some years in America. When his bewildered parents (Elmaleh’s actual mother and father, portraying themselves) discover a figurine of the Virgin Mary in his suitcase, he is forced to admit his secret — and for them, it's a nightmare. Delicately facing a difficult topic, this affirmation of faith and family features many moving, semi-improvised performances. Stay With Us is a gentle family-oriented comedy that puts a unique spin on humanity’s age-old search for truth. Director: Gad Elmaleh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa30YSyWvGs
Sponsor: Jewish Federation of NENY, Schenectady County, JCC Friends of the Arts