The Wedding Entertainer (or The Tale of Moishe Badhan)
San Francisco Jewish Film Festival
Friday July 24, 12:30 pm, JCCSF, Kanbar Hall, San Francisco
Use discount code KLEZSFJFF46 for $2 off each ticket.
In Jerusalem’s Hasidic wedding circuit, a badhan—a traditional Jewish wedding entertainer—is only as good as his last performance. Moishe (Shuli Rand) was once the best, but personal struggles cost him both his reputation and his livelihood, and the better bookings now go to others. Sober and desperate, he has one urgent goal: finding the money to pay for his daughter’s wedding. When a childhood friend returns from America with mysteriously good fortune, Moishe sees a chance to solve all his problems in one fell swoop.
With The Wedding Entertainer, director Gidi Dar and actor-writer Shuli Rand—collaborators since Ushpizin (2004)—once again bring ultra-Orthodox life in Jerusalem to international audiences with warmth and specificity. The film offers a rare comedic glimpse into Hasidic wedding culture—its rituals, hierarchies, and performers—through a story that is equal parts character study and caper. Elon Gold co-stars as Moishe’s slick, high-priced rival and steals every scene he is in, rounding out an ensemble cast that brings genuine delight to a world rarely seen on screen. —Johanna Gustin