X
  • 2019
  • Unrated
  • Kino Lorber
  • 2 h 3 m
  • 2019
  • Unrated
  • Kino Lorber
  • 2 h 3 m

Summary In Paris, things do not exactly get off to a good start for the newly arrived Yoav. He knocks on the door of the flat where he's supposed to stay, only to discover the place is empty. While he is taking a bath there, his belongings are stolen. Yet this young Israeli, who has arrived with such great expectations, will not be dissuaded tha...

Directed By: Nadav Lapid

Written By: Haim Lapid, Nadav Lapid

  • 2019
  • Unrated
  • Kino Lorber
  • 2 h 3 m
  • 2019
  • Unrated
  • Kino Lorber
  • 2 h 3 m

Synonyms

Metascore Universal Acclaim Based on 22 Critic Reviews
must-see
84
User Score Mixed or Average Based on 25 User Ratings
5.5
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

Summary In Paris, things do not exactly get off to a good start for the newly arrived Yoav. He knocks on the door of the flat where he's supposed to stay, only to discover the place is empty. While he is taking a bath there, his belongings are stolen. Yet this young Israeli, who has arrived with such great expectations, will not be dissuaded tha...

Directed By: Nadav Lapid

Written By: Haim Lapid, Nadav Lapid

Where to Watch

Top Cast

View All
View All Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Universal Acclaim Based on 22 Critic Reviews
84
91% Positive
20 Reviews
9% Mixed
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Universal Acclaim Based on 22 Critic Reviews
84
91% Positive
20 Reviews
9% Mixed
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
100
Oct 24, 2019
One word for Nadav Lapid’s Synonyms, a movie with a hero obsessed with words, is astonishing. Other words apply to this Israeli feature, in subtitled French and Hebrew, that’s set in Paris. They include, in no particular order, fascinating, infuriating, frightening, lyrical and befuddling. Plus deadpan funny and frequently stunning as a bittersweet ode to contemporary France, one that’s suffused with New Wave verve.
By Joe Morgenstern FULL REVIEW
90
Oct 28, 2019
That’s part of the beauty of this film: It games out very real, very human impulses to their surreal breaking points, only to uncover even greater truths.
By Bilge Ebiri FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Mixed or Average Based on 25 User Ratings
5.5
40% Positive
10 Ratings
28% Mixed
7 Ratings
32% Negative
8 Ratings

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Mixed or Average Based on 25 User Ratings
5.5
40% Positive
10 Ratings
28% Mixed
7 Ratings
32% Negative
8 Ratings

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

88
Nov 6, 2019
Synonyms turns increasingly oblique in its final half hour, as it dawns on Yoav that the door he’s hammering at may never open and let him in. But the sight of this desolate young man strutting about Paris in a borrowed orange trenchcoat is not one you’ll soon forget, nor the exhilarating film that swirls around him.
By Ty Burr FULL REVIEW
83
Feb 21, 2019
As an exercise in depicting the disjointed link between national and personal identity, Synonyms is dazzling. As a portrait of displacement in a world becoming both more globalized and more nationalistic, it is a testament.
By Ed Frankl FULL REVIEW
80
Feb 15, 2019
Lapid continues to exhibit a singular blend of intensity and absurdity, as well as a distinct attention to cinematic craft.
By Jordan Mintzer FULL REVIEW
67
Oct 22, 2019
Above all, it’s about the impossible desire, shared by both expats and artists, to forge an identity of one’s own. But whereas the films it quotes sought to create cryptic and contrapuntal meanings, Lapid errs on the side of the loudly obvious, building to a final shot that might as well be a thesis statement for the rest of the film.
By Ignatiy Vishnevetsky FULL REVIEW
55
Oct 24, 2019
Filmmaker and subject also share a disdain for restraint, shouting and jostling to ensure we’ve gotten their point. But while their parallel passions aren’t exactly subtle, they do make their mark.
By Elizabeth Weitzman FULL REVIEW
See All 22 Critic Reviews

Details

 View All
Production Company SBS Films, Pie Films, Komplizen Film, Arte France Cinéma, The Cinema Project, Rabinovich Fundation, Ministry of Culture and Sport, ARTE, WDR/Arte, Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC), Filmförderungsanstalt (FFA), L'Aide aux Cinémas du Monde, Institut Français
Release Date Oct 25, 2019
Duration 2 h 3 m
Rating Unrated
Genres
Website http://www.kinolorber.com/film/synonyms
View All Details

Awards

International Cinephile Society Awards
• 5 Nominations
Awards of the Israeli Film Academy
• 1 Win & 4 Nominations
Berlin International Film Festival
• 2 Wins & 3 Nominations

Related Movies

Singin' in the Rain

99
Universal Acclaim

Playtime

99
Universal Acclaim

City Lights

99
Universal Acclaim

The Rules of the Game

99
Universal Acclaim

Pinocchio

99
Universal Acclaim

Some Like It Hot

98
Universal Acclaim

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

97
Universal Acclaim

American Graffiti

97
Universal Acclaim

Toy Story

96
Universal Acclaim

The Shop Around the Corner

96
Universal Acclaim

A Hard Day's Night

96
Universal Acclaim

Nashville

96
Universal Acclaim

The Philadelphia Story

96
Universal Acclaim

Ratatouille

96
Universal Acclaim

The Lady Eve

96
Universal Acclaim

Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World

95
Universal Acclaim

La Dolce Vita

95
Universal Acclaim

Inside Out

94
Universal Acclaim

Sideways

94
Universal Acclaim

Meet Me in St. Louis

94
Universal Acclaim

The Apartment

94
Universal Acclaim

Chimes at Midnight

94
Universal Acclaim

Related News

2024 Movie Release Calendar

2024 Movie Release Calendar

Jason Dietz

Find release dates for every movie coming to theaters, VOD, and streaming throughout 2024 and beyond, updated weekly.

  • movie
Every Zack Snyder Movie, Ranked

Every Zack Snyder Movie, Ranked

Nick Hyman

With the arrival of Zack Snyder's latest Rebel Moon chapter on Netflix, we rank every one of the director's films—from bad to, well, less bad—by Metascore.

  • movie
Every Guy Ritchie Movie, Ranked

Every Guy Ritchie Movie, Ranked

Nick Hyman

We rank every one of the British director's movies by Metascore, from his debut Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels to his brand new film, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

  • movie
April Movie Preview (2024)

April Movie Preview (2024)

Keith Kimbell

The month ahead will bring new films from Alex Garland, Luca Guadagnino, Dev Patel, and more. To help you plan your moviegoing options, our editors have selected the most notable films releasing in April 2024, listed in alphabetical order.

  • movie
DVD/Blu-ray Releases: New & Upcoming

DVD/Blu-ray Releases: New & Upcoming

Jason Dietz

Find a list of new movie and TV releases on DVD and Blu-ray (updated weekly) as well as a calendar of upcoming releases on home video.

  • movie