Disc Reviews

Lost in Translation: Lapid Languishes in Enigmatic, Complex Study on Cultural Identities with “Synonyms” | Blu-ray Review

Published on February 25, 2020

Winning the Golden Bear at the 2019 Berlin International Film Festival, Nadav Lapid’s third film Synonyms was one of the best theatrical releases of the year, bowing courtesy of Kino Lorber in October of 2019, taking in a little over two-hundred thousand dollars at the domestic box-office. Despite an awards campaign, the complex satire didn’t get any love from the bevy of US based guilds or critical bodies.

From our review at the 2019 Berlin International Film Festival:

“The nuances of Yoav’s cultural abandonment are never clearly spelled out, but Lapid’s specific political references (including behaviors at the Israeli Embassy) suggest a landmine of subversity. An oft-referenced Hector from Homer’s The Iliad also brings in classic comparisons to the infamous war between Sparta and Athens, two cultures whose conflict defined a cornerstone of Western literature. Tellingly, Yoav’s parents never read him the ending, suggesting he only knows of conflict and not its resolution.”

Disc Review:

Kino Lorber presents Synonyms in 2.35:1 in 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo. An interview with Nadav Lapid, the theatrical trailer and footage from the 2019 New York Film Festival (provided by Film at Lincoln Center) included as extra features.

Film Rating: ★★★½/☆☆☆☆☆
Disc Rating: ★★★/☆☆☆☆☆

Nicholas Bell

Los Angeles based Nicholas Bell is IONCINEMA.com's Chief Film Critic and covers film festivals such as Sundance, Berlin, Cannes and TIFF. He is part of the critic groups on Rotten Tomatoes, The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) and GALECA. His top 3 for 2021: France (Bruno Dumont), Passing (Rebecca Hall) and Nightmare Alley (Guillermo Del Toro). He was a jury member at the 2019 Cleveland International Film Festival.