By STACEY STEIN
A Canadian filmmaker examines the importance of other peoples' perceptions
With his Jewish-sounding last name, nimbus of chestnut curls and decidedly non-goyish nose, Toronto-based documentarian Jamie Kastner certainly has all the outward markings of a bonafide member of the tribe. And heaven knows, he's certainly been asked about his background countless times for as far back as he can recall - by Jews and non-Jews alike.
Why do they want to know, he's always wondered, and what difference does it make, anyway?
To answer his own musings, Kastner embarked upon a self-described "faux personal journey" in the provocatively titled documentary, "Kike Like Me," in which he adopts a Jewish identity, which may or may not be an authentic one - to discover how people react to it. Kastner steadfastly refuses to reveal his true identity, adding an element of intrigue. He says he prefers to keep audiences guessing to get them to consider the bigger picture, which is "Why do we care and why does it matter?"
"Kike Like Me" forces us to examine those questions and explore our own feelings about identity. "What it means to be Jewish is what it means to be perceived as Jewish; that may be the more meaningful identifier," Kastner says over a light breakfast at a convivial French bakery in a tony Toronto neighborhood.
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