Egg Cream
Short Films • 15m
Directed by Nora Claire Miller, Peter Miller & Amy Linton • Documentary • 2020 • 15 minutes
EGG CREAM is a short film about the enduring meaning of a beloved chocolate soda drink born on the Jewish Lower East Side. The egg cream contained neither eggs nor cream – it was a product of necessity and hardship, but a source of joy and sweetness. Through a tour of egg cream establishments led by a filmmaker and his young daughter, exhaustively researched archival imagery, and even a song by Lou Reed, the film examines the Jewish experience in America and the mythology of a simpler time.
“A warm-hearted plunge into the alchemical swirl of chocolate syrup, milk, and seltzer that is the egg cream. It's a remarkable family saga that includes a daughter's dozen-year egg cream quest from child to adult; and it is a broad cultural story as well, suggesting that the enduring charisma of the iconic corner-store beverage says a lot about the history of Jews in America. Who knew that such a simple drink has such a fantastic personality?” —Michael Stern, Roadfood
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