Ils sont partout

It helps if you're already familiar with some of the religious and cultural themes - and have a thick skin - some of this stuff is so funny it's gotta be offending somebody somewhere

This film is a must watch if you're Jewish and growing increasingly fed up with the growing levels of antisemitism across the west. I can only imagine its relatively poor score on this site is down to the fact that most reviewers don't fall into that category.

Because this film is funny - hilarious in fact. I was crying with laughter in places. But it may only be funny if you're Jewish and recognise the stereotypes, both in the sketches and in the main character, a Jewish man seeking therapy for being obsessed with the Jews and anti-semitism.

Excerpts from his therapy sessions are interspersed with what are essentially short stories, each one revolving around a Jewish stereotype and featuring a cast of characters who don't reappear. There's the Jew who wonders why he isn't rich when all the others are; the Nazi who belatedly discovers that he is a Jew; two Jews arguing over increasingly outlandish hypotheticals relating to chimney sweeps. The oddest short story involves a Mossad agent who travels back in time to kill Jesus, proving once again that in French cinema, literally anything can happen.

At times it's quite poignant and thought provoking, the director has been clever enough not to go just for laughs all the time, the result being that when they do come, they act as much as comic relief as mere entertainment. Which is precisely what we Jews need in this day and age, isn't it? A bit of comic relief.

One of those rare find, you know browsing stuff to watch and baam there you are. Ils sont partous or The Jews is an extremely good movie to watch, illustrating the grating lives of Jewish people while weaving dark humour in it and at the same time maintaining coherence in the plot. Not one boring moment in it.

I thought this was a great film. I do emphatically disagree that one needs to be Jewish to appreciate the film. In fact the same types of stereotypes exist against minority communities everywhere. One could make this film about Greeks in Turkey, Israeli stereotypes against Palestinians living in Israel, Koreans living in Japan and scores and scores of other examples.

Excellent understated sense of humour. Couldn't stop rolling from laughter. Not sure whether I would have enjoyed it as much if I had watched it in a proper movie theater. However watching it on cable in the comfort of my living room was definitely a winner. Some of the creative ideas in the script are so mad that I need to hold back with great effort from describing them here, to avoid including spoilers in this review