Shalom Taiwan (2019)

A ravishing Argentinian comedy-drama in the road movie genre. Young and charismatic Rabbi Aaron, who is running a Jewish community in a Buenos Aires neighborhood, is loved by the churchgoers but experiences financial difficulties. In despair, Aaron sets out to seek contributions towards his pious work and travels as far as Taiwan, where he meets people who can teach him some worldly Eastern wisdom, like a businessman who gave all his money away and exchanged the vanity of the world for the opportunity to grow tea with his own hands. Shalom Taiwan is a film that does an excellent job of showing on screen the feeling of exploring the new world that every traveler is familiar with. The film’s major stroke of luck is Fabián Rosenthal and his portrayal of Aaron. Rosenthal’s presence feels crucial for the film’s success, thanks to the mastery with which the actor portrays the slightly self-assured, nervous, yet sincere Rabbi, whom you can’t help but believe.