Va, vis et deviens

OK, so i may have some gripes with it artistically, but when you consider the fact that this is one of the first feature films dealing with the migration of Ethiopian Jews to Israel made by people who actually lived through the experience, those factors become less important. This film has spirit, and that is hard to come by these days. It's imperfections, I think, lie in the fact that this story has been kept under wraps for so long and it was difficult for the filmmakers to know where to begin. It touches on most of the major issues that refugees face in Israel, and is a strong and inspiring beginning to opening up this experience to further filmic treatment. Word has it that the distributors are currently trying to get enough viewer-ship for this film to reach New York and LA, so please support this film! It is an experience not to be missed.

Twenty-four hours after seeing this extraordinary, multi-layered film about a boy who is airlifted out of Ethiopia and brought to Israel, I am still reviewing images in my mind and wondering at the courage and audacity that must have been necessary to bring this story to the screen.

Salomon was nine years old, living in a desperate refugee camp in Sudan. In late 1984, there was a covert Israeli-American operation to save Ethiopian Jews, known as Falashas, by airlifting them to Israel. The Falashas, are a small branch of the Diaspora. But as they lined up for their exodus, Salomon's mother tells him firmly to "go, live and become", the title of the movie. She saw in the exodus an opportunity for her son to escape the death, disease, famine and civil war that were ravaging Ethiopia. Salomon's mother would stay behind.

The trauma of being told by his mother to leave was already strong stuff. But there is more; Salomon is not even a Falasha. So the arrival in modern Israel is a double shock for him. However, Salomon becomes Schlomo, and we see that he is a quick learner. He learns Hebrew and, when he is adopted by a bi-lingual French-Hebrew family, he learns French, too.

However, Schlomo has a persistent and profound desire to see his mother again. He is wounded. On top of that injury, he has to deal with racism and bigotry in Israel, while hiding the fact that he is not a Falasha. Schlomo carries a lot of emotional baggage, but he has some good people rooting for him. Like the Yarom and Yael, the couple who adopt Schlomo, and Sara, the girl who has him firmly in her sights. The story of Schlomo's trials and tribulations is moving on several levels.

What makes this film audacious is that it confronts the question "who is a Jew". The answer is not self-evident. Indeed, the question has been the subject of impassioned debate in Israel for years. The Falashas are just one case study. It is simply remarkable that someone would make a film that touches on this issue. Bravo!

I can only talk in superlatives about this movie. It's so powerful that it takes a second viewing to realize that in fact it's even more powerful... Yes, there is a history lesson in it (Falashas, Middle East, Cold War, Gulf War etc.), and yes, it's an interesting tale about a person whom you just have to think to be real, but more than that, it's so universal in its way of talking about our search for a secure identity... searching for it in a process at the end of which we hope to end up in some nice future at the same time not having forgotten that what was precious in our past. To arrive at that, so much help is needed from good people you can trust, or so much luck, if you want to say it that way... This film will make you realize that and in the process it will awaken in you an overwhelming feeling of respect for human dignity as well.

To Radu Mihaileanu I can only say, continue to give us this good films, please. If it takes years of research as it did in this case, so be it. Oh, and I hope to see all of the actors, too, again some day. How stupid of me, I will, of course, at the third viewing of 'Va, vis et deviens'.

I saw this at the Shanghai film festival,it was called there -Live and become- I knew nothing about it. It is one of the few film that gave me a history lesson as well as complete entertainment. I really didn't notice the Cinematography or even the music. the story was encapsulating,and albeit fiction,had that real aura that made you think that something identical or very close ,has actually happened. The young Schlomo was excellent as was the mother-in fact I really couldn't find a weak performance. If you liked The Last Emperor or Dances with Wolves this movie should have a similar effect. I know quite a lot about both the countries involved in this story and I thought the director was flawless in portraying each culture. He was also flawless in taking you down one path, and just when you thought it was safe and predictable-he would rush you to another, surprising, even better place. It taught me things I didn't know and brought out emotions that have been dormant a while. A stimulating,informative masterpiece.

In my opinion, Radu Mihaileanu, the genius director of 'Train de Vie', has created his masterpiece in his second film. This is the story of an African boy who returns to life from the brink of death. The movie depicts his fight, his ambitions, passions and the power of love. It is a very weird experience for me to enjoy a movie telling the story of a black Jewish! boy. I think, this movie must also play a very important role in the war against racism. There has been a huge conflict for decades in Middle East between Palestine and Israel. I hope that the sense of humanity and love in this movie will help ending all conflicts on earth. Never forget that same creator has created all of us and Adam was a redskin.