Milim Nirdafot
Directed by:
Nadav LapidCinematography:
Shai GoldmanCast:
Tom Mercier, Quentin Dolmaire, Louise Chevillotte, Olivier Loustau, Yehuda Almagor, Léa Drucker, Christophe Paou, Dolev Ohana, Mathieu Cayrou (more)Plots(1)
In Paris, things do not exactly get off to a good start for Yoav. He knocks on the door of a flat, only to discover the place is empty and, while he is taking a bath there, his things are stolen. Yet this young Israeli had arrived with such great expectations. He is determined to get rid of his nationality as quickly as possible. For him, being Israeli is like a tumour that has to be surgically removed. Becoming French, on the other hand, would quite simply mean his salvation. In order to erase his origins, Yoav first tries to replace his language. From now on, he will not utter a single word of Hebrew. The dictionary becomes his constant companion. The necessary visits to the Israeli embassy annoy him; he finds his compatriots to be a total burden. But the naturalisation test also has its pitfalls. And the young French couple whom he befriends has some rather strange ideas about how to help him. Based on his own experiences, Nadav Lapid explores the challenges of putting down roots in a new place. His attempt to find himself awakens past demons and opens up an existential abyss. A tragicomic puzzle that wisely knows how to keep its secrets. (Berlinale)
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Reviews (2)
The promising start of the story with the subsequent pretentious storytelling style and chaotically handled camera falls apart into a thousand nervous pieces. The unsympathetic main character, whose dressing up in the robes of Adam only made sense to me in the opening passage of the film, also hurts the film. (45%)
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Synonyms is an unresolved, fluid film full of ellipses and disturbing moods, which seeks its voice until the end. Like its uprooted protagonist, who reassembles his identity from the numerous fragments that comprise the film’s narrative, it is both stimulating and irritating due to its variability and volatility (manifested not only across the film, but sometimes within a single shot, which sets elements against each other in various image plans). We cannot uncover the essence of the enigmatic protagonist, as he is constantly on the move, always looking for himself and the right words. He can neither abandon his erstwhile identity nor assimilate in a new country. He fails again and again and starts over (System Crasher has a similar structure, but it starts to be monotonous after an hour, whereas that does not happen with Synonyms). With its nervous rhythm (flashbacks from the Israeli army serve not so much for explanation, but for setting the rhythm) and the synonymous varying of one (unresolvable) situation, the film superbly captures the energy (rather than the psychology) of the protagonist. 80%
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