Disillusioned Israeli Yoav (Tom Mercier), who has absconded to Paris following his military training and has disavowed Hebrew, falls into an emotional and intellectual triangle with a wealthy bohemian couple, and frequently finds himself objectified, both politically and sexually, in Nadav Lapid’s powerful film about language and physicality, masculinity and nationhood. A bold and haunting expression of the impossibility of escaping one’s roots, based on the director’s real life experiences, Synonyms became the first Israeli film to win the Golden Bear for Best Film at the Berlin Film Festival.