Thirteen-year-old Yoni (Yoav Rotman) is about to have his Bar Mitzvah. Puberty has forgotten about him and he remains scrawny with an unbroken voice while his schoolmates tower over him. He does homework for them for a fee which he uses to buy a body-building mass gainer. Yoni’s parents do little for him; his father (Tzahi Grad) is a crop-duster pilot who was grounded for smoking pot and his mother (Ronit Elkabetz), who runs a kindergarten, is having an affair with a student’s father.

Given enough time, the most horrid of experiences can become funny—when we look back on our stupid decisions, our terrible choices and our misinformed actions, cringes can eventually turn to smiles as we reflect on our idiocy. Four Lions makes us laugh at terrorists and the concept of jihad, even as they remain an ever-present threat in reality, and suggests that comedy might be a far better weapon than any bunker buster.