Live and Become: Yael Abecassis, Roschdy Zem, Sirak M. Sabahat, Radu Mihaileanu: Movies & TV

Apr08

Live and Become: Yael Abecassis, Roschdy Zem, Sirak M. Sabahat, Radu Mihaileanu: Movies & TV

Posted by admin | on 8 April, 12:09 AM

Review
LIVE AND BECOME **** Starring Yael Abecassis, Roschdy Zem, Moshe Agazai, Mosche Abebe and Sirak M. Sabahat. Directed and written by Ra-du Mihaileanu. Produced by Denis Carol, Marie Masmonteil and Radii Mihaileanu. A Menemsha release. Drama. Aramaic-, Hebrew- and French-language; subtitled. Not yet rated. Running time: 144 min. "Live and Become" received a rare standing ovation at the Telluride Film Festival, evidence of the emotional power of a remarkable journey of discovery. The film centers on the plight of Ethiopian Jews, called Falashas, forced to flee to Sudanese refugee camps for relief from persecution and famine. In 1984, "Operation Moses" begins the airlift of Falashas to Israel. A Christian woman in a refugee camp wants a better life for her nine-year-old son (Moshe Agazai). She orders him to pretend to be Jewish so he can be airlifted out. After a poignant silent glance with the boy’s mother, a Falasha woman whose son has recently died takes the boy’s hand as she boards the plane to Israel. She names him Schlomo and passes him off as her own son. But in Israel, the adopted mother dies. Agazai gives Schlomo a face full of sadness as he yearns for his mother back in Africa. Schlomo is mystified by life in Israel, which is radically different from anything he had ever known. He is adopted by a liberal Israeli couple, Yael (Yael Abecassis) and Yoram (Roschdy Zem), with two children. Yael becomes a fiery defender of Schlomo against the prejudices he faces as he begins a new life. Schlomo must create a new identity while facing hostility as a black immigrant and always fearing discovery as a non-Jew. His struggles are extremely affecting. In the distinctive cast, non-professionals seamlessly mix with accomplished actors while "Live and Become" builds to an unforgettable final image. –Ed Scheid, Box Office Magazine

About the Actor
Sirak Sabahat plays the adult Shlomo in Live and Become. He was uniquely qualified for the role: Born in Ethiopia, Sirak s own migration to Israel is an amazing story of success and struggle not just to survive, but to LIVE AND BECOME. My name is Sirak M. Sabahat. Born on December 5th, 1981, as the eldest of four brothers, I spent the first years of my childhood in Walita in Northern Ethiopia. My life changed drastically in 1991 at the age of eleven. Being a member of the minority African Jewish community, my family and I left the town of Awassa in Southern Ethiopia to embark on our long and dangerous journey to Israel. We headed north towards the capital Addis Ababa, walking thousands of miles through the hot and dry desert. It was a long and hard march; and many of my relatives died on the way, suffering from hunger, cold and illness. When we finally arrived in Addis Ababa, we had to wait, fearing for our lives for five months in the interim camp, until the Israeli Embassy was able to bring the Ethiopian Jews to Israel. Operation Solomon was launched. With nothing but the clothes we were wearing, we were put on military air planes to be taken to the Promised Land. We arrived in Israel with high hopes and a strong feeling of relief just to face yet another hardship. It was a new country with a different culture; and the process of adaptation was not an easy one. Not everybody welcomed us: We were among the first Black Jews in Israel. For eight months, we were put up at Kiryat Shmona, cut off from the world around us. This was done to allow us to adjust to the new country first before finding our way in the new society. Following that, we were transferred to a trailer park near Naharia before finally arriving in our new home in the town of Ramla. I shortly left Ramla, going to a boarding school for gifted children near Kefar Saba. After all that we had gone through together, the separation from my family was not an easy one. At school, falling in was more difficult than I had expected. I was the only Black child; and my classmates often laughed at me or called me names. But I kept my spirits high and learned to navigate through hard times without letting it get me down. After graduating from high school in 1999, I started my acting studies at Haifa University. Here, I became the head of the Ethiopian Students Association, trying to encourage the integration and inspiration for Higher Education among the Ethiopian students in Haifa and all Israel. After my studies, I was cast for a Reality TV show and elected as the best actor on that program. I also became a host for a children s show on the Israeli First Channel. These acting experiences lead to my role as the lead actor in the French-Israeli co-production Va, Vis et Deviens Live and Become , for which I was nominated for an Israeli Academy Award in 2005. I have been on stage in Israel as well as in front of the camera, most recently appearing on stage as the lead in a production of August Strindberg s Miss Julia . I currently live in New York City.

See all Editorial Reviews

The adventures of an Ethiopian boy in Israel,

By customer (Longmont, Colorado) -

This is an epic story, following the life of an Ethiopian boy for about 15 years, from a camp in Sudan to Israel and France. Comparisons to “Forrest Gump” will be made by some as this film turns pages of history and has a lot of heart.

When Israelis come to Sudan to rescue Ethiopian Jews as part of “Operation Moses” (1984), Salomon’s mother, an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian urges him to go to Israel and pass as a Jew, so he won’t die in the camp. Salomon is only 9 at the time and obeys his mother, leaves for Israel with an Ethiopian Jew woman who lost her son in the camp, and becomes known as “Schlomo”. Once in Israel, Schlomo’s new mother dies and after a rough time, the boy is placed for adoption and ends up in a liberal French-Israeli family. The third mother is thus “white” but loves him immensely. (The film does go into a sweet and interesting discussion of races). This all happens in the first minutes of this beautifully-filmed story which I will not spoil for you.

“Live and Become” explores finding one’s identity, dealing with adversity, understanding cultural differences, searching for true friends (and don’t we all need good friends?) and striving for excellence. There is humor too in this drama, like the scene when Schlomo decides to turn himself in at the police station.
The acting by the three boys that play Schlomo at different ages is very good. I found writer/director Radu Mihaileanu amazing, what a love story!

A few warnings: at 2 hours and 15 minutes this film might seem slow to some, but I believe it needs all that time to tell the story, and it picks up speed at the end. The film is not yet rated in the USA but because of mature themes, some language (including couple F-words in subtitles) and a particular scene I would not show it to children younger than 12.

Brilliant, expanding foreign film experience,

By Foreign Film Junkie (Vancouver, BC) -

Right off, there is a would-be sex scene with a prostitute that I would definitely advise not showing - actually not of benefit to any age, but I think it’s worth viewing on a number of levels if you like to “travel” and learn for movie nights. Watch first and skip over that scene (part of Schlomo’s young adult/Israeli soldier year) for family viewing. This is a very warm and human story, one of the best ever.
I’ve been waiting patiently for it’s release - was told it would be winter 2007, but it’s popularity had it making the rounds in theatres catering to foreign films I guess.

Outstanding,

By Ping Lim (Christchurch) -

This tour-de-force told the story of an Ethiopian Jew who was ushered to Israel only to be discriminated against just as he did in Ethiopia. It all came down to the colour of the skin. In Ethiopia, he’s regarded as an outsider and in Israel, just like his counterparts, he’s been branded as the opportunist who took advantage of the welfare provided by the Government. He was adopted into a leftist and non-religious family that loved him unconditionally. With a strong foundation, he was left to explore and discover his true identity. The movie spanned from his early childhood until his adult year when his life came a full circle. A movie that’s beautifully made and overwhelmingly powerful. Highly recommended.
Search Live and Become: Yael Abecassis, Roschdy Zem, Sirak M. Sabahat, Radu Mihaileanu: Movies & TV from AmAzon

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