MONDAY

The title of Shemi Zarhin’s 1995 film suggests that it might bewilder anyone who’s never attended a seder, but that’s not at all true. Adjust a few cultural details and this ensemble dramedy could be any Hollywood holiday movie, set most likely at Thanksgiving, but potentially at any time when families gather to experience an uncomfortable bout of togetherness. Yona and Michael have four children, and with them come the attendant spouses, ex-spouses, new loves, and grandchildren—and their multiple hostilities. One son arrives with his much younger new girlfriend, only to encounter his ex and their unruly son. The only daughter and her husband seem happy, but their adolescent daughter hasn’t spoken a word in two years. Another teenage granddaughter is trying to get someone—anyone!—to decipher the breakup letter she just got from her boyfriend. The bitter son whose twin brother died in a military snafu refuses to wear a yarmulke to dinner. There’s also a dotty grandma—and not one but two separate eating disorders. Plus, Yona has decided that Michael’s having an affair, a hasty assumption that quickly becomes the day’s hottest piece of gossip. The family drama is supplemented by slapstick and magical realism, notably in the form of a mysterious gift that floats around the house in hope of being noticed. Yes, viewers who’ve never been to a seder may wonder why the kids are burning bread, but most of the film’s events and all of its emotions are universal. The film shows at 7:30 p.m. at the D.C. Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th St. NW. $10. (202) 884-0060. (Mark Jenkins)