In the South, “ma’am” is just a polite term of endearment – but without a sweet country accent, it can be a slap in the face for women over 25.

“We call it the four letter word all women hate,” says Cherry Hill’s Michael Kelberg, director of the new short comedy “You Got Ma’amed,” which was filmed in Voorhees.

In Kelberg’s film, a married couple – Kate and Calvin – go out to dinner and their waiter refers to Kate as “ma’am.” Calvin laughs at her frustration, so a heated argument ensues, humorously addressing the psychological and emotional turmoil “being ma’amed” can cause for women.

The inspiration for the film struck Kelberg as he was on the set of another project and a female co-worker talked about her experience of “being ma’amed”.

“I thought it was funny and held on to the idea – first looking at it as a viral type video, short sketch and finally deciding to do it as a short,” Kelberg says.

Michael Kelberg Photo Credit: Douglas Gorenstein

The film will be featured in the Jewish Film Festival held at the AMC in Voorhees on March 31.

Kelberg says he doesn’t use the formal terms “ma’am” or “sir” regularly, but when he does, this experience will make him use those words very carefully.