Film screening, 2 hours 7 minutes; English with closed captioning; followed by discussion

All happy families are alike but an unhappy family is unhappy after its own fashion.  —Tolstoy

Director Barry Levinson’s Avalon was inspired by the experiences of his own family. His grandparents came to the new world in the early twentieth century and fostered a large, tight-knit clan with values of mutual aid, hard work, and ambition for their children. But what begins as a story about a happy extended family darkens as it shows us why it became “unhappy after its own fashion”.

Warm and funny, sad and heartbreaking, Avalon is a film that resonates across the generations.

The Shabbat Jewish Film Series is made possible by the Aptekar Family Fund for Film.