| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Yaël Abecassis | ... | Yael | |
| Roschdy Zem | ... | Yoram | |
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Moshe Agazai | ... | Schlomo enfant |
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Moshe Abebe | ... | Schlomo adolescent |
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Sirak M. Sabahat | ... | Schlomo adulte |
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Yitzhak Edgar | ... | Le Qès Amara |
| Roni Hadar | ... | Sara | |
| Rami Danon | ... | Papy | |
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Mimi Abonesh Kebede | ... | Hana - la mère Juive Ethiopienne |
| Meskie Shibru | ... | La mère de Schlomo (as Meskie Shibru Sivan) | |
| Raymonde Abecassis | ... | Suzy | |
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Yosi Alfi | ... | Rabbin Talmud Tora (as Yossi Alfi) |
| Shmil Ben Ari | ... | Directeur internat (as Shmil Ben-Ari) | |
| Shlomo Vishinsky | ... | Le policier | |
| Shai Fredo | ... | Le traducteur | |
In 1980 the black Falashas in Ethiopia are recognised as genuine Jews. In turn they are secretly carried to Israel. The day before the transport the son of a Jewish mother dies. In his place and with his name (Schlomo) she takes a Christian 9-year-old boy. Upon arrival this second mother dies. Schlomo is adopted by a good family but remains depressed until he secretly sends a letter to his real mother. From the beginning he experiences large and small racist difficulties. In his teens he and Sarah fall in love. Her father is an extreme racist. Schlomo tries to gain "real Jewishness" by winning a competition in Bible interpretation. No change of Sarah's father's attitude. Disappointed he goes to the police and reports himself as not being a Jew. But the police officer just gives him a scolding. "The newspapers are full of that stuff, the Falashas are no Jews. Now they begin to believe it themselves." His adoptive parents send him to France to study medicine. When he afterwards marries ... Written by Max Scharnberg, Stockholm, Sweden
I saw this at the Shanghai film festival,it was called there -Live and become- I knew nothing about it. It is one of the few film that gave me a history lesson as well as complete entertainment. I really didn't notice the Cinematography or even the music. the story was encapsulating,and albeit fiction,had that real aura that made you think that something identical or very close ,has actually happened. The young Schlomo was excellent as was the mother-in fact I really couldn't find a weak performance. If you liked The Last Emperor or Dances with Wolves this movie should have a similar effect. I know quite a lot about both the countries involved in this story and I thought the director was flawless in portraying each culture. He was also flawless in taking you down one path, and just when you thought it was safe and predictable-he would rush you to another, surprising, even better place. It taught me things I didn't know and brought out emotions that have been dormant a while. A stimulating,informative masterpiece.