Photo Courtesy of Hot Docs
THE LAST LAUGH
Directed by: Ferne Pearlstein
Whenever someone makes a taboo joke, there’s definitely an instinct to tense up. The Last Laugh, a documentary that consists of jokes about the Holocaust and a very frank discussion on what is okay to joke about, is bound to bind some people. Fortunately, it’s a very worthwhile look at the humanity of humor. “If you’re funny before, you’re funny during and you’re funny after,” legendary king of comedy Carl Reiner says in one scene, which easily can be used as the blanket thesis statement for this entire documentary. The film features several Jewish comedians as well as statements from Holocaust survivors, such as Renee Firestone, an extremely charming and funny woman who attributes comedy to the reason why she made it through the tragedy; for her, it’s part of a process of reclaiming power.
One might hope that The Last Laugh would give an answer to the question: “What’s not okay to joke about?” However, the documentary seems to slowly unravel that there is no definitive answer. Several comedians and survivors have very differing opinions on the matter; while some say that everything is grounds for a joke if it’s a good joke, others draw very distinct lines in the sand. “You cannot live in the shadows,” Renee adds, “Could Hitler imagine I’d survive and have three beautiful grandchildren?” Wherever one’s opinion lays on taboo jokes, Pearlstein takes a very wide array of very different people and presents a worthwhile question. The Last Laugh is undoubtedly funny, very touching, and a unique way to look at absolutely heartbreaking subject matter. There are millions of Holocaust documentaries out there, but none like this one. (Richelle Charkot)