Alyah (2012)
Directed by Elie Wajeman

Film Review

Elie Wajeman shows great promise as a film director with his first feature, a slick urban drama that effectively melds together several genres (realist policier, psychological drama and family intrigue) into a satisfying whole.  That Wajeman is influenced by the American filmmaker James Gray (Two Lovers, The Yards) is evident both in his choice of subject matter and in the film's modern film noir texture, which emphasises the intense personal conflict of the main protagonist, who is torn between his sentimental attachment to Paris and the prospect of a new life in Israel.  Alyah has the look and feel of a gritty French polar but it is in fact an intimate character study, focused on an individual who is caught in a horrendous existential crisis.  To leave or not to leave, that is the question.

Intelligently scripted and directed with confidence by a young filmmaker who clearly has a great future ahead of him, Alyah impresses most with its performances, which help to make this a particularly engaging and humane piece of drama.   Pio Marmaï (revealed in 2011 in La Délicatesse and Un heureux événement) is an excellent choice for the lead role of Alex - his talent for combining introspective brooding with an outgoing charm is well used to show up the complexity of his character and make him an unusually ambiguous hero.  Just as impressive is Cédric Kahn, who is surprisingly effective in the role of Alex's troublesome brother.  Better known as a director (of such acclaimed films as L'Ennui and Feux rouges), Kahn proves that he is also an accomplished actor and compels us to sympathise with a character who is more deserving of our contempt.  Having distinguished herself in Bertrand Bonello's L'Apollonide (2011), Adèle Haenel shines in this film as the sensual and sensitive young woman who further complicates Alex's ambitions.  With strong supporting contributions from Guillaume Gouix and Sarah Lepicard, Alyah hardly puts a foot wrong on the acting front.

One of the strengths of this film is that it avoids the kind of off-putting Manichean simplicity that afflicts all too many crime-related dramas these days.  Alex's criminal activities are presented in a broader social context and are partly the result of moral weakness, but also the result of the need to survive in an world that offers little if no support to those who live on the margins.  The fact that Alex can imagine a better life for himself proves that he is not beyond redemption, but his lack of moral fibre may be the thing that most prevents him from achieving what he most desires: escape.  The other main characters are just as morally flawed, the reflection of a society that is in danger of totally losing its moral compass, and, like Alex, we are conflicted as to whether they deserve our contempt or our pity.  With a little help from a top notch cast and talented co-screenwriter Gaëlle Macé, Elie Wajeman weaves an arresting genre-spanning drama that is both brutal and tender.

Film Synopsis

Alex is 27 and lives in one of the less salubrious districts of Paris.  He makes a dishonest living as a drugs dealer, but most of his hard-earned cash ends up in the pocket of his overly demanding older brother, Isaac.  When his cousin tells him of his intention to open a restaurant in Tel-Aviv, Alex considers joining him and starting a new life.  But first he must teach himself Hebrew (with the help of his ex-girlfriend Esther) and scrape together enough money to make this dream a reality.  Unfortunately, Isaac's need for ready cash shows no sign of abating and when Alex begins a relationship with a young student named Jeanne it looks increasingly that he will never be able to escape...