What Happens in Coexistence, My Ass!?
The complete story of Coexistence, My Ass!, from the first scene to the last, in 199 words (about 1 minute). Spoilers throughout.
Spoilers ahead
The documentary, filmed from 2019–2024, follows Israeli comedian and peace activist Noam Shuster-Eliassi. She was raised in Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam, where she grew up immersed in a vision of Israeli/Palestinian coexistence rooted in equality and justice. After working as a peace activist with the United Nations, she turned to comedy as a more effective means of conveying her message.
The film traces Shuster-Eliassi’s stand-up routines, satirical videos on social media, and television appearances, highlighting how she uses humor to expose the absurdity of ethnic and religious hatred and to advocate for equality. It shows how she confronts rising violence against Palestinians, emboldened Jewish settler extremism, and the policies of Prime Minister Netanyahu. Her participation in nationwide protests reveals how efforts to spotlight discrimination were often dismissed even by fellow demonstrators.
The final section follows her through the trauma and grief after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks and Israel’s devastating response in Gaza. Torn between communities she loves, she mourns the tens of thousands of deaths and rejects the idea that further violence can bring peace. She notes that solving the Israeli–Palestinian conflict is not too complicated, stressing that equality and not revenge is the only viable path forward.
