What’s the difference, do you suppose, between “love” and “need?” Seems simple … and yet the line is fuzzy in the romantic pairing of Félix (Martin Dubreuil), a single man looking for answers after the death of his estranged father, and Meira (Hadas Yaron), a Jewish woman married to a prick.
Indie films are lousy at meet-cutes and this is no exception. Frustrated by his deathbed-ridden progenitor, middle-aged bachelor Félix pops into a local bakery and meets a sitting Meira. She fails to respond; he leaves, and there was no call for a Natalie Cole song to break out in the background. After his father passes, these two pass on a sidewalk, so Félix decides to make another pass. That’s not quite fair. Non-spiritual Félix simply asks if she has any answers, being a woman of faith and all. Again, she doesn’t respond. He trots home and returns with a picture he’s drawn for her toddler to enjoy. We’re not exactly sure why. He wants a connection; she doesn’t. But this is as far as he’ll push.
The next day, however, she returns to his flat. I didn’t really see that one coming. The Hasidic community is deliberately and almost aggressively isolated; her husband (Luzer Twersky) must be a giant douche. Well, yeah, he is. [And, look, I don’t want to tell you your game, but if you have big Hollywood dreams, you might rethink “Luzer,” dig?] As if to confirm, Meira confides her lack-of-baby desire in a girl chat only to have Shulem scold her from across their separated twin beds.
Ooooh, where to go with that one? I mean, what a fink! Seriously! And then twin beds? And then have your domineering hubby yell at you about more children while displaying all the warmth and charisma of a dung beetle. The message is clear – you’re alone, girl. Not only alone, but your world is full of rules on social behavior. Gentile Félix is going to encounter every.single.one if he wants this relationship.
Félix and Meira do share a love of jazz, dancing (although they’re both terrible), and a need for connection of some sort. This is, essentially, the crux of the relationship. It’s not about sex or communication so much as 
the ability to share empathy. In fact, most of their adventures involved introducing Meira to things we take for granted, like jeans and ping pong. Hence, it’s hard to envision the long-term; these are different people from different worlds.
I’ll give it this much – not many films out there are exploring the Hasidic Jewish communities of French Canada. To be fair, I haven’t yet seen Avengers: Age of Ultron [editor’s note — written before Avengers was released] and I’m told there are some new heroes – is there, perhaps, one with a backstory about being raised in Quebec by a strict rabbi? That’s Hulk’s origin, isn’t it? Raised strictly Jewish right outside Saint Jean Baptiste, no?
That being said, Félix et Meira covers a lot of same ground offered in Fading Gigolo; I think it was a huge mistake to issue these films in consecutive years – but I have no idea how film development and distribution works, so this is probably just an unfortunate coincidence. Indie film would have you believe this is a wonderful time to be a Jewish mother. No makeup, shapeless clothing, no eye contact, little to no personality, heck, you don’t even have to show more than a dated Mary Tyler Moore wig atop your head and still the gentiles will come in droves whether you want them or not.
Two lives all filled with gray
Find mutual company,ok
Adjustment they’ll need
From Semitic creed
Only the lonely can pray
Rated R, 105 Minutes
D: Maxime Giroux
W: Maxime Giroux, Alexandre Laferrière
Genre: Doomed romance
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: Dreamers
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: Firm believers in faith-based gender roles
