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

| 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

| 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...

| 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.

| 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.

| 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.

| 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]

| 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]

| 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.

| Jul 17, 2020

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

| Jun 30, 2020

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

| 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.

| 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.

| Original Score: A- | Feb 25, 2020

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

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

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

| 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.

| 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.

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

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

| 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.

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

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

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