Seder-Masochism

Seder-Masochism is a 2018 American animated musical biblical comedy-drama film that reinterprets the Book of Exodus, especially stories associated with the Passover Seder, such as the death of the Egyptian first-born, and Moses leading the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. The film depicts these events against a backdrop of widespread worship of the Great Mother Goddess, showing the rise of patriarchy. The film also features excerpts from an interview with Hiram Paley, Nina's father.

Seder-Masochism movie poster.

Directed and written by American artist Nina Paley.

Hiram Paley

"There are people who … want to understand all these little nuances about Judaism and things like that. And I figure, okay, fine. Just don't push it down my throat!" (Hiram Paley)

• This is what we did in Hebrew school: we learned these things by rote. And I could do everything, and then at the Seder, I would have a certain—you know, as the kid, the youngest male, I would have certain special roles, like asking the Four Questions, one of which is: "Why is this night …"—whatever.

• I mean, there are people who spend a lot of time. They are great religious scholars. They want to understand all these little nuances about Judaism and things like that. And I figure, okay, fine. Just don't push it down my throat!

Dialogue

"Let my people go!" ("Go Down Moses", Louis Armstrong)

"Everything that's born must die, and it isn't I who made the world that way." ("Spider Suite", The Duke of Uke and His Novelty Orchestra)

Hiram Paley: And, uh, you know, we all sat around the table, including Uncle Herzl. And Uncle Herzl rejected the part where you did a drop to signify the killing of the firstborn Egyptians. My uncle got infuriated with that. He didn't like that part.

Nina Paley: Why?

Hiram Paley: Well, who wants to kill people?

Nina Paley: What?

Hiram Paley: I mean, we don't want to go around killing people, right?

Nina Paley: But you shed the drop because—the idea is, you shed the drop because you're sympathizing. You're like, "Oh, this was a terrible thing." So you're going to spill some of the wine from your cup because it was such a bad thing.

Hiram Paley: Yeah, but I think literally, it was in celebration of the killing of the firstborn Egyptians, and my uncle didn't like it.

External links

• Seder-Masochism quotes at the Internet Movie Database
• Seder-Masochism at Rotten Tomatoes