Sundance 2025 Review: COEXISTENCE, MY ASS!, Comedian's Pursuit of Middle East Peace

Filmmaker Amber Fares profiles comedian Noam Shuster Eliassi as she intertwines her peacekeeping endeavors with advocacy for equality in Israeli-Palestinian relations in her documentary portrait Coexistence, My Ass!

Raised in Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam, the only intentionally integrated Israeli-Palestinian village, Eliassi navigates multiple languages, perspectives, and, crucially, expectations. The documentary spans five years, documenting her public engagement amid the waning peace process that once defined her environment.

Fares, who directed Speed Sisters, which spotlighted a Palestinian women's racing team, approaches filmmaking through personal narratives. This positions her as a director drawn to individuals operating within contradictions. In Coexistence, My Ass!, she follows Eliassi, a Jewish Israeli fluent in Arabic, who transitions from activist to comedian.

The film begins with Eliassi preparing her one-woman comedy show at Harvard University as part of a residency exploring coexistence, weaving her upbringing and family history with geopolitical commentary that veers into satire. The documentary portrays her as both observer and participant, resisting binary classifications and entrenched stereotypes. She serves as a conduit to examine the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through cultural expression.

Palestinian-American documentary editor Rabab Haj Yahya, co-writer with Rachel Leah Jones on Coexistence, My Ass!, juxtaposes snippets from Eliassi's stand-up with behind-the-scenes footage, including preparations for the show and diaristic glimpses into her life, highlighting her activism through humor and interactions with family and other engaged individuals.

As in Eliassi's comedy, the film extends its focus on social and political dynamics in the Middle East, emphasizing satire as a form of dissent. Fares' previous works explored similar themes, but Eliassi’s trajectory allows for a more intensive engagement with identity concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Unlike Speed Sisters, where protagonists were united by a shared pursuit, here Eliassi stands largely alone, navigating personal and political fault lines.

The documentary combines intimate, behind-the-scenes footage with public performances from the one-woman show and public protests, reflecting Eliassi’s multifaceted roles as comedian, political commentator, and activist. The cinematography maintains an observational documentary style, while editing provides context and builds emotional engagement with the protagonist and her cause.

The film charts Eliassi's rise to prominence as her jokes attempt to bridge the Israeli-Palestinian divide, garnering both supporters and detractors. Despite being character-driven, featuring the charismatic and humorous Eliassi challenging political discourse through comedy, the documentary builds an emotional arc.

As her career progresses, political developments remain a constant backdrop. Her stand-up begins humorously but gradually touches on the raw nerves of the issue, adopting a more somber tone, punctuated by events such as the October 7 Hamas attack, which ripple through society, turning her dream of equality between Israelis and Palestinians into a utopia.

Coexistence, My Ass! merges docu-portrait and political commentary, with the stand-up show serving as the film's backbone, illustrating how comedians can offer incisive observations on life and events. The film does not propose a simplistic solution through Eliassi but demonstrates one approach to an apparently intractable issue, encompassing heart, despair and heartbreak.

Coexistence, My Ass! won the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Freedom of Expression at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Visit the film's page at the festival's official site for more information.