Abe 2019

Abe is a precocious baker who chats with his family while crafting treats and sharing photos of his dishes on a Tumblr-like feed. His mother Rebecca and his father are atheists who don’t want him to pick sides—bar mitzvah or Ramadan—yet Abe longs to experience both traditions. In a lively open market, he approaches a Black Brazilian cook, a mentor figure in the story, but the cook hesitates, wary of getting anyone in trouble; the kitchen scene introduces the film’s tension between curiosity and caution, and Chico the cook becomes a guiding presence.

When the adults sign Abe up for a summer kids’ cooking class, he fears the class will be too easy, and his worry proves true. He slips away and finds his way to Chico’s kitchen, where he’s allowed to learn by doing rather than by taking notes in a classroom. The first two weeks are humble and humbling—he starts by washing dishes and taking out the trash—but gradually he earns a seat at the stove. Both he and the kitchen share a hunger for fusion: Chico blends Latin American cuisines into new flavors, while Abe dreams of merging Palestinian and Jewish culinary traditions into something truly unique.

Back home, Abe’s world collapses when his parents discover he wasn’t in the class and they outrageously decide to confiscate his phone and laptop until school starts again. The family’s bond is strained further as they separate temporarily, a pause that leaves Abe yearning to bridge the gulf between generations and beliefs. He devises a bold plan to bring everyone together through a Jewish-Palestinian “semitic Thanksgiving” dinner, as he envisions food as a language that can heal old wounds and misunderstandings.

Reluctant conversations about the Middle East and about how to raise Abe become louder around the dinner table, while Abe himself keeps cooking, returning to Chico’s kitchen as needed. The family begins to fear for his safety when he wanders outside at night, yet his meals start to do something surprising: they spark curiosity, empathy, and a readiness to listen. As the film unfolds, the family gradually comes to appreciate the power of Abe’s food, not merely as nourishment but as a bridge between cultures.

In the end, the search for Abe culminates in a reunion where everyone tastes his creations and acknowledges his talent. The meal features the hopeful fusion he has imagined all along, and the family rediscovers a shared love that transcends differences. The final notes are warm and uplifting: they celebrate nourishment, connection, and the idea that food can bring even the most divided relatives back together, leaving the audience with a sense of joy and possibility.