Alyah

Plot

Alex, a 27-year-old Jewish drug dealer who lives in Paris, plans to do his Aliyah and move to Israel for the chance of a better life. His brother, Isaac, keeps pestering him for money. During the course of a Shabbat dinner at their aunt's house, we learn they lack parental support. Alex's desire to move to Israel is not so much grown out of Zionism, but because nothing holds him back in France, in spite of his recent encounter with a gentile girl, Jeanne. The final scene highlights Israel's multicultural culture.

Cast

Reception

The film was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. It was also shown at the 2012 Haifa International Film Festival and the Cabourg Film Festival.

Variety reviewed the film favorably, suggesting the cast was "solid." and that the film deserve a "wider audience" than "Francophone arthouses and Jewish fests". For Les Echos, it is "the best French film in a long time", as it shows many social classes in Paris, and admits the fact that Paris, as pretty as it is, has nothing left to offer.