Synonyms (2019)

A young Israeli man absconds to Paris to flee his nationality, aided by his trusty Franco-Israeli dictionary.

Director:

Nadav Lapid

Writers:

Nadav Lapid (screenplay), Haim Lapid (screenplay)

Stars:

Tom Mercier, Quentin Dolmaire, Louise Chevillotte

5 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Mercier	...	Yoav
Quentin Dolmaire	...	Emile
Louise Chevillotte	...	Caroline
Uria Hayik	...	Yaron
Olivier Loustau	...	Michel
Yehuda Almagor	...	Yoav's Father
Gaya Von Schwarze	...	Tamar
Gal Amitai	...	Eyal
Idan Ashkenazi	...	Roey
Dolev Ohana	...	Amit
Liron Baranes	...	Officer
Erwan Ribard	...	Tolga
Yawen Ribard	...	Tolga's Son
Iman Amara-Korba	...	Yasmina
Sébastien Robinet	...	Police Agent

Storyline

Yoav, a young Israeli man, has a one-way ticket to Paris believing France to be his salvation from what he sees as the madness of his country. Things don't get off to a great start as he discovers his living arrangement is unfit for living, yet his grandiose expectations leave no room for a failure to adapt. Wholehearted in his resolution to erase his Jewish-Israeli origins, he refuses to speak Hebrew and obsessively studies his constant companion, a French dictionary. He develops a particularly strong bond with his privileged neighbor who symbolizes - to Yoav - the French promise of fraternité. Nothing can extinguish Yoav's determination to be thoroughly French. Based on the real-life experiences of writer-director Nadav Lapid, SYNONYMS explores the conflicted realm of fervent Nationalism and the challenges of putting down roots in a foreign land.

---

Plot Keywords:

full frontal male nudity | male frontal nudity | male nudity | running naked | male rear nudity | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Quotes

Emile: The slaps we get from our parents

---

Soundtracks

Concerto pour violon en mi mineur, op 64, I. andante
Composed by Felix Mendelssohn (as Felix Mendelssohn)
Performed by Christian Tetzlaff and Das Symphonie-Orchester Radio Frankfurt (as Orchestra Symphonique de la Radio de Francfort)

User Reviews

Noisy, pretentious, pointless and boring

Film undoubtedly directed by pretentious high school students, during an internship.

Cons: 1. Yoav runs away from Israel because Israel is, I literally quote, "méchant, obscène, hideux, ... " and he arrives in Paris to work within the embassy of (guess what!) Israel. Incredible! It's moronic... 2. Yoav does not speak. Yoav yells or shouts. Constantly. Unnecessarily. Sometimes, to change, Yoav screams. It's boring... 3. Yoav impregnates himself, idly and condescendingly, from the customs and traditions of the Parisian natives to fill the void of his own life. It's depressing... 4. Yoav plays music with a machine gun, on a French song interpreted by the american band Pink Martini. It's almost funny. But no, actually. 5. Yoav is sometimes filmed with a basic camera held by a person obviously suffering from epilepsy: right, left, up, down, ... quickly and randomly. I was almost seasick. 6. ... 7. ... and so on, and so on ... 8. ...

Pros: Paris, the city. However, I live there and I may see this city everyday; then, I do not need to waste my time during two (long!) hours in a movie theater, for this kind of movie. So, finally, no positive point. Definitely!

As a synthesis, in one word: no!

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

France Israel Germany

Language:

French Hebrew English

Release Date:

25 October 2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

Synonymes

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$17,891, 27 October 2019

Gross USA:

$206,003

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$615,688

Company Credits

Production Co:

SBS Films, Pie Films, Arte France Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1