Synonymes

Released Oct 25, 2019

2 hr. 3 min.

Drama

List

87%

92 Reviews

Tomatometer

33%

Fewer than 50 Verified Ratings

Audience Score

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

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Critics Consensus

Synonyms latches onto third-rail issues with thrilling audacity -- and taps into an energy that proves as discomfiting as it is infectious.

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Audience Member

Brilliant! A bravura performance from Tom Mercier and being the big Berlinale winner is just the beggining of this masterfully arrogant film. Transgressive, smart and even moving, this, if you have enough patience and if you are willing to get into this crazy world, will blow your mind.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

One of the best movies of the year. An amazing statement on identity and a vivid portrayal of the essence of youth and all the raw feelings it implies.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

Bob N

Shocking, near perfection. Mercier's performance is thrilling.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/23/21

Full Review

dave d

There's a scene in this movie that will almost guarantee if you haven't done so already that you'll turn it off. There's a fine line between art and provocation. There's a good movie in here, but this isn't it. PS: Staying to the end will only ruin your day. Final Score: 2.0/10

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Kinda meh. I know it suppose to be a satire. But it's the end message that's so righ wing propaganda like. "Europe is so welcoming of immigrants they are cucking it and Jews place is in Israel that's where they belong" ok whatever I guess. Story wise there's not much either. 1.5/5

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

La búsqueda desesperada de una identidad Yoav es un joven israelí que luego de su servicio militar decide abandonar Israel e instalarse en París, abjurando de su nacionalidad y del hebreo y adoptando el francés como única lengua, repitiendo obsesivamente listas de sinónimos en ese idioma. Cuenta al comienzo con la ayuda de una pareja de jóvenes franceses bastante millonarios que son la quintaescencia de la Francia culta y algo aburrida, con quienes sigue manteniendo un vínculo de naturaleza variable. Y luego, no obstante, entabla algunas ocupaciones relacionadas con al embajada israelí. El director Nadav Lapid nos hace empatizar casi de entrada con su protagonista (Tom Mercier) mostrándolo desnudo frente a cámara (y no será la única vez que aparezca así), instalando la poderosa presencia física de Yoav. Hay en Yoav algo de niño, de quijotesco y de loco en su periplo y en su afán por integrarse a Francia, una suerte de energía que no encuentra un canal adecuado o convincente de expresión. Su tenacidad resulta a veces conmovedora. En lo personal, esta película, a la que hay que reconocerle un tono muy original y que oscila entre la comedia y el drama, no me terminó de cerrar, ni como oposición de las culturas israelí y francesa ni como crítica a ambas. Me quedo con la sutileza y la poesía de su anterior película, la conmovedora La maestra de jardín.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

Full Review

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Nadav Lapid

Director

Olivier Loustau

Michel

Léa Drucker

la professeure d'éducation civique

Tom Mercier

Yoav

Jonathan Boudina

Aurélien

Uria Hayik

Yaron

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Namrata Joshi

The New Indian Express

Nadav Lapid's Synonyms was about his inner conflicts with the very idea of nationalism...

Oct 26, 2023

Full Review

Josh Kupecki

Austin Chronicle

Nadiv's film forgoes an overarching narrative structure, which - depending on your patience with such things - is either exhilarating or exasperating. I found it to be the former, in no small part because newcomer Tom Mercier is absolutely riveting.

Rated: 3.5/5

Feb 25, 2021

Full Review

Tom Long

Detroit News

It's all very deep. Except, you know, not really.

Rated: C

Jan 3, 2020

Full Review

Reyzando Nawara

A Good Movie To Watch

In a world where the struggle for identity is a universal experience, Synonyms serves as a poignant reminder that the quest for self-discovery is not a linear or painless process

Rated: A-

Oct 12, 2023

Full Review

Vadim Rizov

Filmmaker Magazine

I was fine for a stretch, less so as Synonyms kept working itself into a lather around a character whose behavior increasingly comes off not as symbolic of a certain rage but merely annoying...

Dec 1, 2022

Full Review

Dan Bayer

Next Best Picture

Nadav Lapid is a vital cinematic voice. If he can bring his exploration of theme more in line with his technical skill as a filmmaker, he’s going to make a masterpiece. But “Synonyms” isn’t it.

Rated: 7/10

May 13, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

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

Director: Nadav Lapid
Screenwriter: Haim Lapid
Distributor: Kino Lorber
Production Co: Arte France Cinema, SBS Productions
Genre: Drama
Original Language: French (France)
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 25, 2019, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 27, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA): $205.6K

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