15 minutes / Color
Release: 2020
Copyright: 2018
Available on DVD with YIDDISH.
EGG CREAM is a short film about the enduring meaning of a beloved chocolate soda drink born on the Jewish Lower East Side. The egg cream contained neither eggs nor cream—it was a product of necessity and hardship, but a source of joy and sweetness. Through a tour of egg cream establishments led by a filmmaker and his young daughter, exhaustively researched archival imagery (and an eponymous song by Lou Reed!), EGG CREAM examines the Jewish experience in America and the mythology of a simpler time.
“A warm-hearted plunge into the alchemical swirl of chocolate syrup, milk, and seltzer that is the egg cream. It's a remarkable family saga that includes a daughter's dozen-year egg cream quest from child to adult; and it is a broad cultural story as well, suggesting that the enduring charisma of the iconic corner-store beverage says a lot about the history of Jews in America. Who knew that such a simple drink has such a fantastic personality?” —Road Food
“Brings a human touch to a delicious part of Jewish history. What began as an engaging documentary project between a father and daughter emerges as a powerful story of culture and history tied together with the thread of the popular drink, the egg cream. Watching, and wanting to taste, the different versions of the famous egg cream as they were shared on-screen was only the beginning of the fun of this documentary.” —San Diego Joyce Forum Jewish Film Festival
Select Accolades
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Before dying of starvation in a concentration camp, Mina carefully recorded her favorite recipes, hoping they would somehow make it to her daughter overseas.
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Nurith Aviv | 2020 | 61 minutes | Color | French; English; Hebrew; Yiddish | English subtitles | Closed Captioned
