Village of Idiots (1999)
“Outsiders call Chelm the village of idiots,” Shmendrick explains, “but our rabbi said we were a city of natural geniuses, with our own way of figuring things out.”
7.5(4)12mJune 19, 1999
Rose Newlove
Director
John Lazarus
Writer
Rate
Diary
Overview
Based on a Jewish folk tale adapted by playwright John Lazarus, this animated short tells the story of Shmendrik, a simpleton living in a small Polish village. Weary of daily life in his native Chelm, Shmendrik sets out on a quest for knowledge that brings him to a new Chelm, a place eerily reminiscent of his old Chelm. An amusing take on our tendency to romanticize what we don't have.
