Synonymes - Movie Reviews (2024)

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

Full Review | Oct 26, 2023

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

Full Review | Original Score: A- | Oct 12, 2023

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...

Full Review | Dec 1, 2022

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.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | May 13, 2022

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.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Feb 25, 2021

I'm not sure what exactly Lapid is going for here-though driving us a little crazy may be part of it-but his movie isn't just a stunt, it is a work of art.

Full Review | Oct 21, 2020

A new political satire about a young Israeli seeking spiritual refuge in Paris, and in the French language. [Full Review in Spanish]

Full Review | Sep 3, 2020

I find the film 'Synonyms' by Israeli director Nadav Lapid very provocative. It has drama, humor and a vibrant aesthetic. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Jul 31, 2020

The film is often hilarious and at times poignant and filled with manic energy. Shai Goldman's handheld camera work is aces also.

Full Review | Jul 17, 2020

We're all rooted in one place or another, but what if that place is a no-man's land?

Full Review | Jun 30, 2020

More a cinematic rant than a typical plot-based narrative, Synonyms opens with a bang and rarely lets up.

Full Review | Mar 17, 2020

The conflicts at the heart of Synonyms will resonate deeply, thanks to Lapid's deeply personal storytelling and Mercier's fiery performance.

Full Review | Mar 14, 2020

Synonyms is a brazen dark comedy that blasts our ever-growing worldwide class divide and keenly satirizes notions of assimilation. It's a treat to watch from the eye-popping opening to the final ironic image.

Full Review | Original Score: A- | Feb 25, 2020

Synonyms is a movie about language and its prisons. [Full Review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 14, 2020

The result is admirable, both for its audacity and for its complacency. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Feb 11, 2020

It makes sense to examine Synonyms through the lens of the stories that inspired it, as its characters are constantly telling and evaluating stories themselves.

Full Review | Jan 24, 2020

[It's] obviously a cathartic piece of art augmented by Mercier's central, unbridled performance. But I [did] feel at arm's length for much of the runtime.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Jan 8, 2020

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

Full Review | Original Score: C | Jan 3, 2020

Nadav Lapid's unpredictable third feature recalls the Portland Trilogy by Gus Van Sant as the film thrives on isolated characters, unscrupulous situations, and the temerity of youth.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Dec 20, 2019

A beautiful relationship with Bernardo Bertolucci's films is transposed. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Dec 12, 2019