Live and Become (2005)

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

Yom Shi Shi, 9 September 2016: I found this movie by accident, but I am so happy that I did. I wish that I had known of it in year 2005. This film is based on a true story about Ethiopian Jews suffering and dying in Ethiopia, Africa for lack of food and medical help and that eventually Israel saves them. The English title is: "Live and Become" or "Live and Become Jewish", which is about a Christian boy and his Christian mother in Ethiopia. To save her son, when the Israelis arrive to save many Ethiopian Black Jews, the mom tells her son to say that he is Jewish and go live in Israel so that he will not die in Ethiopia.The young actors, Moshe Abebe and Sirak Sabahat both playing "Solomon" at different ages and pretty Israeli actress, Yael Abecassi in the role of the adoptive mother both deserves an academy award. The entire cast was excellent. Excellent acting, excellent direction and great locations. Also it was great to hear the dialogue in Ivrit and also in Amharic, but I don't know why French is included.I also love when the young cute Jewish girl, actress, Roni Hadar started to like Solomon in spite of his dark skin. God does NOT see skin color, Elohim, Adonai, El Elyon Only see the heart and mind of people. Real Love overcomes hate, bigotry and prejudice and I think that if I had the chance to meet a pretty White Israeli Jewish woman, love and marriage would Not happen between us because I too am African Black American and I would be looked down upon because of my skin color.My favorite scenes was when Yael told him that Sarah loves him and she waited 10 years for him he better tell her that he loves her. I thought finally and the beautiful wedding scenes. But even more what I loved is the fact that Sarah loved him in spite of his skin color not born Jewish. True Love conquers all.But I wish that more White Jews and darker skin Jews (converts included) would open their hearts and minds and allow men and women to love and marry freely without all the racism. For the Jewish women and men in America that have open hearts and minds and loved and married darker skin, I say Toda La El for them.I also loved the scenes with the Jewish celebrations, music and dancing. The Israel Jewish culture of religious and non religious is very beautiful with the dancing in a large circle and celebrations.I hope that when it was originally released that it was well received and won some awards.I wish that it was release in United States. Todah Rabah.Shalom, Laila Tov ve La heet ra ot.

Live and Become is is about never giving up, no matter what! It's an optimistic story. When you do good in your life, good comes back to you when you least expect it.Parts of this story are incredibly gut-wrenching, I even had to fast forward the movie, at times. Vicariously experiencing the incredible suffering taking place in a refugee camp was unbearable. On the other hand, we get to see a relatively normal Middle Class existence through most of the story, which is quite a relief! While this is a fictional story the setting is 100% historically accurate. I felt like I was reliving the news from the 1980's! I remember the Falashas, also known as Ethiopian Jews and their evacuation from Ethiopia and the Sudan. I also remember what a hard time they were given by a large segment of the Israeli population, especially by the Ultra Orthodox religious establishment who did not consider them to be real Jews.The racism and constant humiliation experienced by Schlomo was mind-numbing, and symbolic of how the Falashas were actually treated back then. What a very sad commentary on the Israeli society of the time! I immensely enjoyed getting to see Schlomo played by 3 different actors: one as 9-year old, then as a teenager and finally as a man in his 20's. We literally get to see Schlomo turn into this incredibly brave and self-confident man. What a moving story! After watching it, I guarantee you it will strengthen your belief in a Supreme Being!

Radu Mihaileanu's "Live and become" could be defined as an 'indie crowd-pleaser'. I know it's not the best definition, but think about it: a European movie with a lot of nonprofessional actors, an inspiring title and story…Strong story. Films like this one always make the intelligent viewer suspicious, and with reason. There were many things I though I'd see in "Live and become"; I found them all. The script, by Mihaileanu and Alain-Michel Blanc, constructs its bases from something that has to be veridical because of the way the movie presents it, with admitted seriousness. If it's not, then the director and his writing partner have made us believe the suffering throughout someone's life and the film's most revealing moments from something that never occurred. Schlomo, the film's main character, leaves a village in Ethiopia because his mother obliges him. Soon the 9-year-old, a non-Jew, finds himself in Israel saying a name that's not his (but it's the only one we ever know he has) and admitting to be a part of a religion he didn't grow up knowing: Judaism. When he leaves his mother, she tells him something like: "Live and become, and don't come back until then".The boy obeys, of course, but lives his whole life trying to understand what his mother meant, as he talks to the moon as if it where his mother and writes letters and arguments to defend himself in debates relating them with his personal feelings. In his life in Israel, he lives with adoptive parents Yael (Yael Abecassis) and Yoram (Roschdy Zem), who love him but, although he learns to love them back, he only wants to go back home. One man will help him manage this desire, but I won't tell you who he is because the role he plays in the boy's life and how they meet each other is probably the film's highest point.I don't want to sound disqualifying, but it's hard to sustain a story like the one "Live and become" presents. I suspected that it would center everything on the boy's dilemma, and it did. Everything revolves around the prejudice and consequences of Schlomo's situation; some discussions become predictable and sometimes it seems this is being exploited so much that it leaves the rest undeveloped. The truth is that there's not much more character development in the film than the three- dimensional Schlomo, who is played by three different actors and only one seems to comprehend him (Sirak M. Sabahat), when the boy is no more and we see him in his maturity. When I said "Live and become" was a crowd-pleaser, I meant that it knows the material it's dealing with and the effect it can generate in an audience. It's a big dramatic effect of course, that generally provokes a big smile or a little tear. The experience I had with "Live and become" is very similar to the ones I had with "Whale Rider", from New Zealand, and "The Pursuit of Happiness" from USA; both crowdpleasers. "Whale Rider" relied on Keisha Castle Hughes' presence to generate emotion (and maybe too much on the images), and 'Pursuit' relied on Will Smith's chemistry with his son (and not so much on the images). Here, the actors don't have the sparkle, and Mihaileanu bets it on the music-loud and heartbreaking-and the images. The three films are moving; I said it, but I didn't buy any of their stories. This one could have the most solid general development, a fact that may redeem its poor, crowd-pleasing ending.

This is one of the best films i have ever seen . It was only scheduled for one screening at Van film fest in 2005 but after an email campaign got a second screening, peoples choice award and subsequently general release, still not seen by as many as it deserves. Sublime! It should be part of every schools curriculum. If its the only film you ever see , let this be it. The direction, storytelling , performances are all heart wrenching and uplifting. The fact that i am writing about it 2 years later says something! It restored my faith in cinema and the power it has to change and empower lives. English title is 'Live and Become" Does anyone know if its on DVD or video?