Tom Mercier

Winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, Nadav Lapid's "Synonyms" follows a disaffected young Israeli who flees Tel Aviv for Paris to start a new life, but his attempts to find himself awaken past demons and open up an existential abyss. Based on the director's own experiences, this tragicomic puzzle explores the challenges of putting down roots in a new place.

Miriam Gordon lives in a fog of grief while working in a downtown public library branch. When a burgeoning love-affair coincides with her receiving a series of oddly threatening letters, Miriam's sheltered existence is cracked open.