Greta Gerwig Drew Inspiration from Jewish Shabbat Dinners for Her New Film

Famed film director Greta Gerwig shared in an interview with The New York Times that her childhood experiences taking part in “Shabbat rituals” with observant Jewish family friends deeply inspired her latest film. “I want people to feel the way I felt at those Shabbat dinners,” she said. “I thought of the movie as a spiritual journey.”

Though the film itself does not focus on Jewish themes, it has strong Jewish roots. Gerwig co-wrote it with Jewish filmmaker Noah Baumbach, and the concept for its central figure originated from Ruth Handler, the Jewish-Polish American businesswoman who created the iconic Barbie doll — named after her children, Barbara (“Barbie”) and Kenneth (“Ken”).

Gerwig explained that she developed deep respect for Judaism through those Friday-night dinners: “It didn’t matter what your wins or losses were that week, what you achieved or didn’t — when you sat down at the Shabbat table, you were valued the same as everyone else,” she recalled, quoting her friend’s Jewish father.

She added, “I want people to feel what I felt at those dinners. I want everyone to feel blessed. I thought of the movie as a spiritual journey, much like those evenings of warmth, acceptance, and reflection.”