Synonyms (film)

Synonyms (French: Synonymes) is a 2019 international co-produced drama film directed by Nadav Lapid, from a screenplay by Lapid and Haim Lapid. It stars Tom Mercier, Quentin Dolmaire and Louise Chevillotte.

Synonyms
Film poster
Directed by	Nadav Lapid
Written by	Nadav Lapid Haim Lapid
Produced by	Saïd Ben Saïd Michel Merkt
Starring	Tom Mercier Quentin Dolmaire Louise Chevillotte
Cinematography	Shai Goldman
Edited by	Neta Braun Era Lapid François Gédigier
Production companies	SBS Productions Joana Henning (Estúdio Escarlate) Pie Films Komplizen Film Arte France Cinema Israel Cinema Project Rabinovich Foundation The Israel Film Council CNC German Federal Film Board Institut Français
Distributed by	SBS Distribution Grand Film Estúdio Escarlate
Release dates	13 February 2019 (2019-02-13) (Berlin) 28 February 2019 (2019-02-28) (Israel) 27 March 2019 (2019-03-27) (France) 5 September 2019 (2019-09-05) (Germany)
Running time	123 minutes
Countries	France Israel Germany
Languages	French Hebrew
Box office	$615,592[1]

The film had its world premiere at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival on 13 February 2019, where it won the Golden Bear.^[2][3] It was theatrically released in France on 27 March 2019, by SBS Distribution, in Germany on 5 September 2019, by Grand Film, and in Israel on 28 February 2019. The film received positive reviews from critics.

Plot

A young Israeli man absconds to Paris to flee his nationality.

Cast

• Tom Mercier as Yoav
• Quentin Dolmaire as Emile
• Louise Chevillotte [fr] as Caroline
• Uria Hayik as Yaron
• Olivier Loustau [fr] as Michel
• Léa Drucker as French Teacher

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival on 13 February 2019.^[4] The film was released in Israel on 28 February 2019.^[5] It was released in France on 27 March 2019, by SBS Distribution.^[6] In May 2019, Kino Lorber acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film.^[7] It was released in Germany on 5 September 2019, by Grand Film.^[8]

The film also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2019.^[9] and the New York Film Festival on 29 September 2019.^[10] It was released in the United States on 25 October 2019.^[11]

Critical reception

Synonyms received positive reviews from film critics. It holds an 88% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 90 reviews, with an average of 7.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Synonyms latches onto third-rail issues with thrilling audacity -- and taps into an energy that proves as discomfiting as it is infectious."^[12] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 84 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".^[13]