| Aliyah | |
| Director: | Elie Wajeman |
| Producer: | Lola Gans |
| Starring: | Adele Haenel, Cédric Kahn |
| Cinematography: | David Chizallet |
| Distributor: | Rézo Films (France), Film Movement (USA)[1] |
| Runtime: | 90 minutes |
| Country: | France |
| Language: | French, Hebrew |
| Budget: | $1.8 million[2] |
| Gross: | $275.000[3] |
Aliyah (French: '''Alyah''') is a 2012 French drama film directed by .[4] [5]
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.[4] [5] [6] His brother, Isaac, keeps pestering him for money.[4] [5] During the course of a Shabbat dinner at their aunt's house, we learn they lack parental support.[4] 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.[4] [5] [6] The final scene highlights Israel's multicultural culture.[4]
The film was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.[7] [8] It was also shown at the 2012 Haifa International Film Festival and the Cabourg Film Festival.[9] [10]
Variety reviewed the film favorably, suggesting the cast was "solid." and that the film deserve a "wider audience" than "Francophone arthouses and Jewish fests".[4] 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.[5]