31 CANDLES was a rom-com feature film shown at the Spokane Jewish Film Festival.Â
31 CANDLES offered a light-hearted conclusion to the Spokane Jewish Film Festival. It was ninety minutes of addressing unrequited love, growing up, and choosing to get Bar Mitzvahed even when approaching your 31st birthday. It was a coming-of-age film that invited audiences to laugh and groan at every obstacle along the way. It was at times silly, but in a good way.Â
31 CANDLES made me remember the importance of my own Bat Mitzvah decades ago. We all tend to forget the commitment of standing on a synagogue bima and reciting from the Torah before everyone we consider essential in our lives. It truly is an accomplishment. It secretly helps a person feel their past, present, and future collide in a single moment. I felt that as I watched Leo’s journey. 0y…it was such a blessing.Â
31 CANDLES, followed by a Zoom Q&A with the director, Jonah Feingold. It was a lovely conclusion to a successful film festival.Â