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January 26, 2025There are few topics more volatile and divisive than the Middle East. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has fervent advocates and critics on all sides who believe they know what’s best and have a stake in what’s happening even if they may live thousands of miles away. The bluntly-titled Coexistence, My Ass! looks at it through the lens of an Israeli comedian who, unlike so many, is intimately familiar with what’s going on in a place she’s happy to criticize, both through comedy and more traditional methods of protest.
Noam Shuster Eliassi moved to the community known as Wahat al-Salam/Neve Shalom, which translates to Oasis of Peace, with her Iranian-born mother and Jerusalem native father when she was seven years old. It’s billed as the only place in the world where Palestinians and Israeli Jews live together on purpose and in peace. Her childhood experiences have formed a clear view of what she believes should be the future of Israel, which she thinks has a long way to go to recognize its Palestinian residents as equals.
Much of Eliassi’s comedy routine is interwoven throughout this film, and she definitely has a way of working a crowd. But she’s also acutely aware of her audience, and as a result does best when she’s in front of a community of Palestinians or those sympathetic to what they’ve endured. She’s uncomfortable with the fact that she has to resort to talking about Persian stereotypes and other less button-pushing material when she’s in front of a mainstream Israeli audience since she doesn’t think they’ll receive the jokes she has in an open or positive way. She’s still funny and capable of eliciting laughs, but she’s not putting quite as much of herself into it.
This film’s title is entirely appropriate and fitting for its protagonist’s worldview. Through conversations with friends and footage of protests and other heated interactions, as well as excerpts of her stand-up, Eliassi conveys her feeling that the notion of coexistence is bogus. She bares much of herself when she confronts anti-Netanyahu protestors about whether they’re out in the streets advocating for the rights only of Jews or thinking of Palestinians as well. She isn’t afraid to start an argument, and the passion that she expresses in more serious situations comes through in the wry delivery of her jokes that speak to truths she holds close.
Watching this film will be an interesting experience for any audience since, as with the recent United States presidential election, it’s nearly impossible to find someone without any preconceived notions. Like left-wing activism in the United States, this film is full of pushback against the status quo that demands a radical overhaul of what’s been accepted and allowed to occur, and isn’t meant to be a thoroughly-processed plan for a new world. That may alternately energize and antagonize audiences depending on their perspectives and what they feel Eliassi does and doesn’t say in her exploration of the conflict as it stands, and what she feels are the most vital issues that urgently need to be resolved.
Whether or not those watching agree with Eliassi’s viewpoints, she doesn’t mince words, and it’s fascinating to see her fight so ardently for what she believes in and to see the effect she has on people. Navigating the trauma and immediate aftermath of Hamas’ October 7th, 2023 attack on Israel showcases the delicate position in which she finds herself, lauded by some as a brave hero and decried as a despicable traitor by those who feels she reserves compassion only for some. This documentary manages to capture the essence of who she is and how she approaches the world both through comedy and dramatic passion. As this film premieres during a shaky ceasefire with some hope of curbing a recent period of horrific violence and bloodshed, Eliassi is more driven to speak out than ever before, and it’s quite a time for her to make herself be heard with this invigorating and heartfelt portrait of someone determined to make a difference.
Movie Rating: 8/10