JIFF25: Bad Shabbos

Australian premiere 

David and his fiancée Meg are nervously anticipating Shabbat dinner at David’s parents’ Manhattan apartment. The pressure is high because Meg’s Catholic parents are flying in from Wisconsin to meet David’s whole family. They’ve barely blessed the challah before an accident happens, and a dead body turns up in the powder room. Or was it murder? What will they do with the corpse? And how long can the Gelfands keep this a secret from Meg’s pious parents?  

Hilarious and rapidly paced, Bad Shabbos took home the Audience Award at Tribeca Film Festival for its keenly observed comedy about faith, family foibles and crisis management. The fantastic ensemble cast includes several familiar faces like Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer) and Australian Ashley Zukerman (Succession), with a memorable turn from Wu-Tang Clan rapper Cliff ‘Method Man’ Smith as the friendly doorman who lends a hand to his favourite tenants.