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Hadas Yaron (Fill the Void) returns to the big screen in Maxime Giroux’s Felix and Meira, a story of an unconventional romance between two people living vastly different lives mere blocks away from one another. Meira (Yaron), a young Hasidic housewife and mother, and Félix (Martin Dubreuil), a man lost in mourning the recent death of his father, unexpectedly meet at a local bakery in Montreal’s Mile End district. What starts as an innocent friendship becomes more serious as the two wayward strangers find comfort in one another. As Felix opens Meira’s eyes to the world outside of her husband Shulem (Luzer Twersky) and the tight-knit Orthodox community, her desire for change becomes harder for her to ignore, ultimately forcing her to choose: remain in the life that she has always known or give it all up to be with Félix. Giroux’s film is a poignant tale of self-discovery, a fascinating glimpse into the Hasidic community, and a modern love story set against backdrops both familiar and unknown.

Twersky grew up in a Yiddish-speaking Hasidic community, he received no formal secular education or access to film, television, music or magazines. In his early 20’s, Twersky taught himself English and decided to leave his community to pursue an acting career. Twersky gained experience by playing minor roles in student films until he was cast as a troubled and rebellious Hasid in Pearl Gluck’s “Where Is Joel Baum?” for which he received a Special Jury Prize at the 2012 Starz Denver International Film Festival. His subsequent role was a lead in Maxime Giroux’s “Felix and Meira” (Toronto International Film Festival 2014 – Best Canadian Feature) opposite Hadas Yaron. It won him Best Actor prizes at both the Torino Film Festival and Amiens Film Festival. He joins us to talk about the challenges and rewards of integrating his own history with the demands of his portrayal of Shulem.

For news and updates on Felix and Meira go to: felixandmeira.com 

“Touching and evocative. You need to see it.” – Vanity Fair 

“A gem.” – The Playlist

“Powerful” – Cult Montreal

“Much of the film is spent in a state of sensual repression that recalls Wong Kar-Wai’s In the Mood for Love.” – Cult Montreal 

“Somberly seductive.” – Peter DeBruge, Variety

“Worldly in its reach and neighborly in approach, Félix and Meira is thoughtful tableaux that reverberates with unabashed sensitivity.” – ioncinema