Shiksa boys, awkward outings & more Jewish queer films to stream before Passover begins

Welcome to your weekend streaming recommendations, a.k.a. the Weekend Watch, a handy guide to the queerest film and TV content that’s just a click away!

Passover begins at sundown this coming Monday, April 22. Jews everywhere (well, the writer of this article, at least) will be sitting down for awkward family seders with family they only see on holidays. For those in need of a welcome distraction, this week’s streaming picks are about the intersections of the queer and Jewish experiences, dealing with family, love and tradition. 

Read on for Jewish LGBTQ+ picks to stream this weekend.

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Let My People Go!

Mikael Buch’s side-splitting 2011 comedy about a dysfunctional Jewish family stars Nicolas Maury as Ruben, a French mailman in Finland whose life and sexy romance implode right before Passover. Ruben goes home to Paris to stay with his family, including mom Rachel (Carmen Maura) and dad Nathan (Jean-François Stévenin). Ruben quickly realizes he’s not the only one in his family dealing with heartache and drama, and finds himself in a series of hijinks that reckon with being part of a big Jewish family and being the “gay son.”

Now streaming on Kanopy. Available to rent or buy digitally on Apple TV and Kino Now.

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Oy Vey! My Son Is Gay!!

This 2009 comedy, directed by Evgeny Afineevsky, stars John Lloyd Young as Nelson, who struggles to come out to his zany Jewish family, including his parents Shirley (the amazing Lainie Kazan) and Martin (Saul Rubinek). Shirley and Martin are disappointed that their son isn’t going to be with a woman, but even more concerned when they meet his lover, Angelo (the sexy Jai Rodriguez), who isn’t Jewish. This film has an all-star cast of hilarious actors including Bruce Vilanch and even Carmen Electra.

Now streaming on Tubi.

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Ruthie And Connie: Every Room In The House

This 2002 documentary, directed by Deborah Dickson, follows the lives of Connie Kurtz and Ruthie Berman, Jewish grandmothers and partners who met and fell in love in 1974. Kurtz and Berman eventually become human rights activists, fighting the New York City Board of Education to get domestic partner benefits, starting a PFLAG chapter when they move to Florida and more. These are the coolest Jewish grandmas you’ll ever meet.

Now streaming on Kanopy. Available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play, and YouTube.

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Latter Day Jew

Released in 2018, this documentary by Aliza Rosen focuses on comedian and writer H. Alan Scott—also known as the Golden Girls-loving drag queen Sadie Pines—whose colorful religious background makes for a fascinating story. Scott, a former Mormon, moves to Los Angeles to make it big, converts to Judaism, battles cancer and is able to joke about it the whole time. As Scott puts it, “I got cancer, which is such a great way to move to Hollywood!” Latter Day Jew follows Scott as he prepares for his Bar Mitzvah at 35 years old.

Now streaming on YouTube.

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The Kicker…

In this Weekend Update segment on SNL, Vanessa Bayer plays one of the show’s most underrated characters, “Jacob the Bar Mitzvah Boy.” If you’re new to Passover, maybe don’t listen to Jacob’s explanation of the holiday.

Related:

Sadie Pines dishes on the gayest ‘Golden Girl,’ flirty gigs, & seeing Daniel Radcliffe’s “wand and snitches” IRL

You want to talk about multi-hyphenates? Well, Sadie Pines—a.k.a. H. Alan Scott—is a real queen-of-all-trades.