‘Coexistence, My Ass!’ review: Activism takes the mic | Sundance 2025

In Coexistence, My Ass, political activist/influencer Noam Shuster-Eliassi tries tackling the Israeli-Palestine conflict with awkward laughs.

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Coexistence, My Ass! may have its sardonic heart in the right place, but its comedic timing and structural finesse are all over the map. Directed by Amber Fares, the film chronicles Israeli comedian-activist Noam Shuster-Eliassi as she crafts her biting one-woman show of the same name. On paper, the film should achieve perfect harmony: a brash, multilingual comedian raised in a rare coexistence village, turning political commentary into laugh-out-loud satire while the world around her burns. But weirdly, the result is as if someone tried to cram a TED Talk, a comedy special, and a grief memoir into one movie—and then filmed the whole thing on shuffle.

Let’s give credit where it’s due: Shuster-Eliassi is a fascinating, inspiring figure. Her fearless comedy and unapologetic activism make her a powerful voice in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She seamlessly switches between Hebrew, Arabic, and English, delivering universal punchlines that are clever and well-said. At her best, she spins the wisdom of Edward Said into her own brand of casual observation, cracking jokes through personal stories that aim to humanize her Palestinian neighbors and illustrate an ideal worth reaching.

Her viral satirical videos, particularly her “Dubai, Dubai” music video sensation, are standout moments in the documentary. For many of us in the west, it’s like stepping into a whole other media ecosystem and getting up-to-date on their own doomed-scroll algorithm.

Fares’s direction is about as scattered as a late-night joke-writing session with too much caffeine. One minute, we’re watching Shuster-Eliassi try out material in front of a Boston audience. The next, we’re diving into the geopolitical rabbit hole of Gaza’s occupation. There’s a powerful story here about how humor can challenge systemic oppression and inspire change, but the message shifts too erratically, interspersed too often with tonal shifts. Is this a behind-the-scenes look at the making of a comedy show? A character study? A searing political exposé? The documentary never commits to any of these identities, nor does it manage to stitch them together in any meaningful way. It’s sort of like we’re going through a cool comedian friend’s photos app while she tries to lighten the mood with some jokes.

The film’s structure isn’t its only hurdle. The erratic editing and uneven focus are often disruptive to the experience, with far too many filler moments repeating the same beats, as if that creates emphasis over tedium. And while the comedic moments are welcome bits of searing satire, the heavier themes—grief, despair, the collapse of coexistence—only really go through one lens. How does Shuster-Eliassi feel about this? How will this affect her career? When we do get to hear from Palestinians or see an advocate come up on a live stream, the camera constantly shifts and drifts over to Shuster-Eliassi.

To be fair, Fares clearly has deep respect for her subject and the subject matter. Additionally, Shuster-Eliassi’s reflections on her upbringing in Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam, an intentionally integrated Israeli-Palestinian community, offer glimpses of the powerful narrative this documentary could have been. Sneaking political preaching through bold comedy is one of the most effective methods of doing either. There’s a compelling throughline about how her comedic rebellion roots itself in disillusionment with traditional peace activism. Though the film ends before we get a chance to see this new talking point more developed and tested.

Shuster-Eliassi is a magnetic force, and her comedy has the potential to ignite conversations that most people would rather avoid. But I often found myself wishing we could just watch the one-woman show, rather than a shortened version of it surrounded by tangents. The final result is a mosaic of good intentions and conversation starters, but also patterns that don’t really match when viewed all together.

That said, the documentary still works nicely as recommended viewing for “centrist normies.” Its flaws as an effective documentary don’t necessarily debilitate its potential to enact at least some in change in some people. Shuster-Eliassi might not have the smoothest vehicle for her message, but she’s still driving it forward with the courage of her convictions. And many of us in media would do well to try and follow in her footsteps.

Coexistence, My Ass! had its world premiere at the Sundance 2025 Film Festival. Find more of our Sundance 2025 coverage here.