''At the Suicide of the Last Jew in the World in the Last Cinema in the World'' is a short film by David Cronenberg and part of the ''

To Each His Own Cinema ''To Each His Own Cinema'' (french: link=no, Chacun son cinéma : une déclaration d'amour au grand écran) is a 2007 French comedy-drama anthology film commissioned for the 60th anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival. The film is a collection of ...

'' anthology film.

Plot

In the film Cronenberg explores for the first time on film his Jewish identity.Brian D. Johnson. "The Back Pages: Film: Cannes with a Cause: Just ask Brad or Angelina or Leonardo. Stars can't afford to take a pass on world politics." ''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'', founded in 1905, is a Canadian news magazine reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian persp ...

'' (06-04-2007) The short film is part of a compilation of other short films from 35 auteurs that the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

commissioned for its 60th anniversary. Cronenberg plays the title character, an old man holding a gun to his head, which ''Macleans

Brian D. Johnson Brian D. Johnson is a Canadian journalist and filmmaker, best known as an entertainment reporter and film critic for ''Maclean's''."Return of the '70s: not very far out". ''Montreal Gazette'', November 19, 1994. He first joined the magazine in 198 ...

described as "Cronenberg shoots himself shooting himself." He prepares to commit suicide on television while commentators discuss Jews and cinema.

Production

Cronenberg said, "I've never thought of myself as a

Philip Roth Philip Milton Roth (March 19, 1933 – May 22, 2018) was an American novelist and short story writer. Roth's fiction—often set in his birthplace of Newark, New Jersey—is known for its intensely autobiographical character, for philosophicall ...

whose subject was his Jewishness, but I've never denied it." He decided to finally deal with issues involving his Jewish identity because of Hezbollah's mission statement. He said, "It's pretty interesting to hear someone say our goal is to kill every Jew in the world wherever they are. That means me and my children. It does evoke a reaction."

Reception

Stuart Klawans Stuart Klawans has been the film critic for ''The Nation'' since 1988. He also writes a column on the visual arts for ''The New York Daily News''. Education He obtained his degree from Yale University. Awards and honors He won the 2007 National M ...

said that "It is, on its face, the very opposite of a

Purim Purim (; , ; see Name below) is a Jewish holiday which commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from Haman, an official of the Achaemenid Empire who was planning to have all of Persia's Jewish subjects killed, as recounted in the Book ...

story, not only because the last Jew will die but because no determined enemy does him in." Scott Foundas said that Cronenberg's piece "goes so far as to presage not just the end of movies as we know them but of the people frequently credited with popularizing them." Petter Brunette in Cannes said that it was "weirdly droll yet chilling." Todd McCarthy said that Cronenberg's short film was "Occupying a provocative, confrontational zone all its own" amongst the others in the compilation. Cronenberg aired many opinions about the future of cinema in interviews and press conferences following his short's viewing. He said at a press session with several other directors that, "The form of cinema as we know it already is a thing of the past."

References

{{David Cronenberg 2007 films Films about Jews and Judaism Films directed by David Cronenberg French short films Films about suicide 2007 short films