Who woulda thought. . . . we weren’t the only ones not completely immersed in isolation with the final Harry Potter book this weekend... although we did see a couple books neatly tucked under the seats at the Castro Theater on Saturday at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. If you weren’t there, well, then you missed out on a couple of good romantic comedies and one hilarious kiss-off -- and not the kind of kiss-off you might think we’re talking about.
We’re referring to , a ten-minute short that features a more orchestrated version of spin-the-bottle. Basically, just think of who your friends would pretty much guarantee that you would NOT pucker up for, and that’s with whom the Kiss folks have been paired. Not everyone is able to seal the deal, but those that do – and even those that don’t – will amuse you along the way.
Kiss showed before Bad Faith, the romantic comedy/drama written and directed by Roschdy Zem, who you might remember from Days of Glory, and who we saw at last year's SFIFF in Le Petit Lieutenant. Zem also co-stars in Bad Faith (Ishmael) with Cecile de France (Clara), who played the Belgian beauty Isabelle in L’Auberge Espagnole and Russian Dolls.
The Jewish-Muslim couple in question was coasting along blissfully until Clara’s pregnancy test. Ishmael’s reaction leads you to believe the bliss will continue, but then the two have to drop the bomb on their respective families, and all hell breaks loose. It’s a riot; one you can appreciate even if you haven’t personally been faced with choosing baby names and negotiating circumcision.
You can catch Kiss and Bad Faith later this week and next in Berkeley, Palo Alto, or San Rafael. Bad Faith preview clip here.
SFist Wendy, contributing. Still from Bad Faith.
A Kiss is a Kiss is a Kiss