Atomic Falafel

A nuclear showdown between Israel and Iran would not normally score high on the laugh-riot meter. But writer-director Dror Shaul manages to raise the weighty premise to high levels of absurdity in his farcical comedy ATOMIC FALAFEL. Nofar is a sassy Israeli teen who desperately wants to lose her virginity. Her Facebook friend, Sharareh, is an equally sassy Iranian singer-songwriter-rapper. Nofar’s mom, Mimi Azrian, sells falafels from a van she navigates through danger zones and has recently taken up with Oli, a German atomic energy investigator who has an allergic reaction to enriched uranium. They all become pawns and players in a bizarre military plot cooked up by buffoonish Israeli defense and intelligence operatives. Nothing is off limits in Shaul’s satirical skewering. His ATOMIC FALAFEL characters serve up an array of tasty, tongue-in-cheek offerings, exemplified during one crucial face-off when the gun-toting authorities blurt: “Drop the pita and come out with your hands up!” (In Hebrew with subtitles) –C.O.