French film icons Gérard Depardieu and Fanny Ardant star in this romantic comedy about a Parisian couple in their fifties who share a comfortable life, a beautiful home, a posh country club and a midlife crisis. Following a dream vacation to Israel where Alain (Depardieu) explores his Jewish roots, Gisèle (Ardant) insists they change their life and move to Tel Aviv. While Gisèle, a Jewish convert, finds her new life inspiring; Alain fights to embrace Hebrew, Jewish tradition and a new circumcision. Will Alain and Gisèle learn whether Shalom represents Hello or Goodbye?
Acting
Depardieu and Ardant's magnetic, messy chemistry
Writing
Genuinely unhinged premise executed with straight face
Director
Graham Guit
Gérard Depardieu
Alain Gaash
Fanny Ardant
Gisèle Gaash
Jean Benguigui
Simon Gash
Lior Ashkenazi
Yossi
Gilles Gaston-Dreyfus
Siletsky
Manu Payet
Shapiro
Jean-Michel Lahmi
Saint-Alban
Clémentine Poidatz
Gladys
Julien Baumgartner
Nicolas
Jean-François Elberg
M. Sapin
Françoise Christophe
La Mère d'Alain
Alix de Konopka
Mme Gash
Claudine Baschet
La Grand-Mère
Muriel Combeau
Mme Saint-Alban
Sasson Gabai
Le Chef de la Police
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Depardieu actually learned basic Hebrew for the role, reportedly finding it 'worse than Russian.'
The film sparked minor controversy in France for treating circumcision as comedy fodder, while Israeli critics found it surprisingly sympathetic to absorption struggles.
FR
