Va, vis et deviens (2005)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Radu Mihaileanu

Writers:

Alain-Michel Blanc (writer)
Radu Mihaileanu (writer)

Release Date:

1 February 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

In 1980 the black Falashas in Ethiopia are recognised as genuine Jews. In turn they are secretly carried to Israel...

Plot Keywords:

Jew | Love | Ethiopia | France | Fugitive

Awards:

9 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

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 Sivan	...	La mère de Schlomo
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

Also Known As:

Live and Become (Australia) (Canada: English title) (Ireland: English title) (UK) (USA)
Go, See, and Become (International: English title)
Live & Become (Canada: English title) (poster title)
Vai e vivrai (Italy) (dubbed version)

Runtime:

140 min

Country:

France | Belgium | Israel | Italy

Language:

Amharic | Hebrew | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-11 | Ireland:12A | Portugal:M/12 | Brazil:10 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | USA:Unrated | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | France:U

Filming Locations:

Alon Junior High Scool, Givatayin, Israel

Company:

Elzévir Films

Trivia:

Visa d'exploitation en France # 106667

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...

Come, see and win

I can only talk in superlatives about this movie. It's so powerful that it takes a second viewing to realize that in fact it's even more powerful... Yes, there is a history lesson in it (Falashas, Middle East, Cold War, Gulf War etc.), and yes, it's an interesting tale about a person whom you just have to think to be real, but more than that, it's so universal in its way of talking about our search for a secure identity... searching for it in a process at the end of which we hope to end up in some nice future at the same time not having forgotten that what was precious in our past. To arrive at that, so much help is needed from good people you can trust, or so much luck, if you want to say it that way... This film will make you realize that and in the process it will awaken in you an overwhelming feeling of respect for human dignity as well.

To Radu Mihaileanu I can only say, continue to give us this good films, please. If it takes years of research as it did in this case, so be it. Oh, and I hope to see all of the actors, too, again some day. How stupid of me, I will, of course, at the third viewing of 'Va, vis et deviens'.