TJFF presents Boaz Davidson’s (Lemon Popsicle) cult hit on its 40th anniversary, featuring actor Yosef Shiloach’s iconic role as Farouk—a Mizrahi lodger pursuing every hackneyed cure for his baldness. As Tablet’s Liel Leibovitz recalls, “For Purim in 1986… half the kids in my school dressed up in bathrobes… imitating Shiloach’s character.” Often considered the last “bourekas” film—a genre of broad comedies rooted in ethnic stereotypes—the story follows Alex, a pre–Bar Mitzvah teen in 1950s Tel Aviv. It traces his relationships with friends, his Polish mother, the girl he loves, and his Holocaust survivor aunt Lola, with whom he has his first sexual experiences. See also The Dreamer.
Featuring an interview with Director Boaz Davidson.