Although the Days of Awe have just passed and we are fast approaching the lights of Hanukkah, now is the perfect time to revisit the themes of Passover. Why not get a jump on Pesach, mull over the ideas of slavery and redemption, and enjoy a hilarious movie about a family gathering gone awry? In fact, re-imagining the Four Questions we ask each year during the Seder is a great filter for Salvador Litvak’s film, When Do We Eat (2005, Pictures From The Fringe). The questions provide insight into this innovative comedy and showcase Litvak’s sophomore feature film effort as the funny, hopeful, and intelligent film that it is. So, let’s start with the first and most important question:

When Do We Eat?
This entertaining farce about the Stuckman family’s first Seder in three years debuted on U.S. film festival circuit in 2005, eventually garnering a limited theatrical release in April of this year (just in time for Pesach). The incredibly talented cast includes veteran character actor Michael Lerner as patriarch Ira Stuckman and stage and screen veterans Lesley Ann Warren (Peggy Stuckman) and Jack Klugman (Grandpa Stuckman). The not-so-famous faces of Shiri Appleby (Nikki), Ben Feldman (Zeke), Meredith Lynn Scott (Jennifer), and Max Greenfield (Ethan) comprise a remainder the ensemble with a notable appearance by famed Israeli actress, Mili Avital (Vanessa). Released on DVD in August 2006, the film continues to make the rounds at both domestic and international film festivals. In addition to directing the film, Litvak co-wrote the screenplay with his wife, Nina Davidovich.

Why Is Tonight Different Than All Other Nights?
Or rather, what makes this film different from any other dysfunctional family holiday farce? Is there the requisite large family gathering for a holiday meal? Check. Family members reluctant to even be there, much less engage and participate? Yep. Tensions high? The reunion bittersweet in tone? A prodigal son or daughter in attendance? You better believe it. So what sets this film apart? Simply put, it’s Jewish. It’s a reed in the tide of films portraying dysfunctional family gatherings for Thanksgiving or Christmas. It’s a comedy about Passover that centers around a Seder (I had to restrain myself from tying multiple exclamation points after that sentence). We first meet the various Stuckman family members as the Seder preparations are underway. It’s obvious they’re a loving family, even if they’re loud, crazy, and intrusive. They’re still endearing. Litvak weaves their narratives together swiftly, setting a stressed-out tone for the Stuckman family, and continues that hectic pace throughout the Passover meal. I have yet to see another film that dares to bring a large family and a few strangers (eleven people total) under one roof (in this case, it’s a tent) to eat the bread of affliction and read from the Haggadah all while dealing with complex yet comical family relations. And they still have time to drink the four cups of wine. Go ahead; find another hilarious Passover movie like this one. I dare ya.

Why Have A Seder If All You’re Going To Do Is Rush Through It?
“Because that’s what Jews do,” according to Ira Stuckman. He promises his family the world’s fastest Seder and tries in vain to make good on his word. However, he has to deal with a myriad of competing forces: his stoner teenage son, his sex worker daughter, his critical father, his harried wife, and his investment-banker-turned-Hasidic son, all of whom add fuel to the fire of an already smoldering family get together. Pile on a celebrity publicist cousin, a lesbian daughter and her girlfriend, the borderline autistic son, and the stoic Israeli guy who built the Seder tent and let simmer for three hours. It’s enough to give Moses heartburn.

You Did WHAT?
In an act of revenge, stoner son Zeke dopes Ira’s antacid with a hit of Ecstasy. Ira is forced to slow his “world’s fastest Seder” and examine everything. He then begins a wild ride, complete with hallucinations, and drags the whole family along, transforming the Stuckman Seder into a uniquely memorable event. Thus begins the turning point of the film, when opinions exchanged (read: shouted), secrets are revealed, and new understandings begin to take hold. Litvak deals adeptly with the issues we discuss every year during Pesach: redemption and freedom. Using flashbacks to reveal long-brooding feuds and family dysfunction, Litvak shows us that the each of the Stuckmans, even the one who doesn’t know to ask, are slaves to their own Pharaohs and must seek some form of personal redemption. He compliments the soul searching with a healthy dose of sophisticated verbal humor and a dose of physical comedy. The film culminates when the family is forced indoors by a sudden rain storm and must make the best of an already frenzied evening. The rain is a wonderful metaphor for washing away the sins of the past, cleansing the soul for a new beginning in the future. When Do We Eat delivers a message of hope for the future and freedom from the past in spite of the insanity that ensues during the meal.