Live and Become (2005)

A Christian boy escapes to Israel from famine-stricken Ethiopia by pretending to be Jewish.

Director:

Radu Mihaileanu

Writers:

Alain-Michel Blanc (collaborator on screenplay), Radu Mihaileanu

Stars:

Yaël Abecassis, Roschdy Zem, Moshe Agazai

12 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Yaël Abecassis	...	Yael
Roschdy Zem	...	Yoram
Moshe Agazai	...	Schlomo enfant
Moshe Abebe	...	Schlomo adolescent
Sirak M. Sabahat	...	Schlomo adulte
Yitzhak Edgar	...	Le Qès Amara
Roni Hadar	...	Sara
Rami Danon	...	Papy
Mimi Abonesh Kebede	...	Hana - la mère Juive Ethiopienne
Meskie Shibru	...	La mère de Schlomo (as Meskie Shibru Sivan)
Raymonde Abecassis	...	Suzy
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

Storyline

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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

jew | love | israel | letter | christian | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

France Israel Belgium Italy

Language:

Hebrew French Amharic

Release Date:

1 February 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Live and Become

Filming Locations:

Ethiopia

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,691,534

Company Credits

Production Co:

Elzévir Films, Oï Oï Oï Productions, Cattleya

Technical Specs

Runtime:

140 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Visa d'exploitation en France # 106667

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Quotes

Narrateur: They had been forgotten on their mountaintops, near Gondar. Yet, since the dawn of time, the Ethiopian Jews, known as the "Falashas", dreamed of returning to their homeland, the Holy Land, Jerusalem. With Israeli and U.S. Aid, a vast program was undertaken from November to January 1985 to transport the Ethiopian Jews to Israel. The Falashas were returned and finally recognized as descendants of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The Israeli secret service carried out the operation on the sly,...

User Reviews

please support this wonderful film!

OK, so i may have some gripes with it artistically, but when you consider the fact that this is one of the first feature films dealing with the migration of Ethiopian Jews to Israel made by people who actually lived through the experience, those factors become less important. This film has spirit, and that is hard to come by these days. It's imperfections, I think, lie in the fact that this story has been kept under wraps for so long and it was difficult for the filmmakers to know where to begin. It touches on most of the major issues that refugees face in Israel, and is a strong and inspiring beginning to opening up this experience to further filmic treatment. Word has it that the distributors are currently trying to get enough viewer-ship for this film to reach New York and LA, so please support this film! It is an experience not to be missed.