Running Time: 140 minutes
Directed By: Radu Mihaileanu
Written By: Alain-Michel Blanc, Radu Mihaileanu
Main Cast: Moshe Agazai, Moshe Abebe, Sirak M. Sabahat, Yael Abecassis, Roschdy Zem
Click here to view the trailer
THE STORY OF SCHLOMO
I'm really reaching the end of my rope in coming up with clever subtitles for these posts, aren't I? Oh well. Anyway, with the watching of "Go, See, and Become" (also called "Live and Become") I reach the number ninety-five mark in this current 100. Five to go till 501!
The film tells of a nine-year old, Ethiopian boy who is placed, by his Christian mother, into the care of a Jewish woman, who is about to take part in Operation Moses, an operation that will airlift Ethiopian Jews and return them to Israel. The title line comes early when his birth mother instructs him to "go, see and become", hoping that we will be able to make a life for himself in Israel. The only problem is that Schlomo isn't Jewish and must conceal this secret, in order to make it in Israel. Once in Israel, Schlomo has trouble adapting to public school and has to be taught how to do everything, since luxuries weren't available in Ethiopia. Even the television fascinates him and he's more amused at watching the back of the TV set, hoping he'll catch a glimpse of the little people coming in and out. Schlomo refuses to eat at school and when he's adopted by new parents, refuses to eat for them either. His new parents are loving people, Yael (Abecassis) and Yoram (Zem), who have two other children and only want the best for Schlomo. Eventually Schlomo adapts to his surroundings, but must cope with the secrets he hides; not being Jewish and leaving his birth mother.
I wasn't too thrilled with "Go, See, and Become", to tell you the truth. It started out as something that I really wouldn't be interested; Israeli politics and the migration of Ethiopian Jews. In it's defense, I will say that I was able to settle into it fairly comfortably, once it took off and I enjoyed watching this young boy try to cope with life and settle into a new land. Certain scenes were poignant and struck me as powerful, like the scene where Schlomo's adoptive mother licks his face in the middle of the schoolyard, to prove that he's a healthy child, while other scenes just didn't strike me as strong as they were intended to. The actors did a fine job and what started out as something that I dreaded watching, actually turned into something that ended up being about average.
You know it's interesting that I've yet to watch a middle-eastern film that has appealed to me. In fact, this 100 has seen a lot of films set in countries like Israel ("Go, See, and Become", "Paradise Now", "Kippur") and Iran ("Kandahar") and none of them have appealed to me. It seems that in the 21st century, these middle-eastern countries have started to contribute to the world of cinema, yet none of the films have really blown me away. Perhaps I'll make it a side mission of mine to find one or two middle-eastern films that appeal to my tastes.
RATING: 5/10 I kept it super short and to the point today, because this was just one that wasn't for me and that was that.
MOVIES WATCHED: 496
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 505
July 6, 2012 12:33pm
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