A boy's journey from Ethiopian famine to an identity forged in Israel

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In the 2005 drama Live and Become, a young Ethiopian Christian boy is thrust into a new life as an Ethiopian Jew to escape famine. Directed by Radu Mihăileanu, the film tracks his complex struggle with belonging, racial prejudice, and the heavy burden of a secret identity across decades.

The narrative begins in 1984, when a nine-year-old boy named Schlomo is entrusted by his Christian mother to an Ethiopian Jewish woman at a Sudanese refugee camp. As part of Operation Moses, the woman is slated for airlift to Israel. Schlomo’s birth mother, desperate for his survival, commands him to "Go, live, and become" before he departs. This directive becomes the central tension of his life as he navigates a foreign culture while concealing his true origins.

Upon arriving in Israel, Schlomo faces profound loss when his adoptive mother dies. His transition into Israeli society is marked by isolation, time in an orphanage, and eventually, adoption by a tolerant family. Throughout his youth, Schlomo encounters systemic racial prejudice, which complicates his attempts to integrate. He seeks validation through Jewish religious study, yet even when he succeeds, he is met with hostility from those who refuse to accept his identity. The film highlights the cruelty of societal gatekeeping, exemplified by a police officer who dismisses his confession of not being Jewish as mere media-fueled hysteria.

Schlomo eventually pursues a medical career in France, attempting to build a life with a woman named Sarah. His secret, however, remains a barrier. When he finally reveals the truth, it shatters their relationship, leading to a period of estrangement. It is only through the intervention of his adoptive mother that they reconcile, with the condition that he must locate his birth mother. The story concludes with Schlomo working as a doctor in an Ethiopian refugee camp, where he finally reunites with the woman who sacrificed everything for his future. The film, which earned accolades at festivals in Berlin, Vancouver, and Detroit, serves as a poignant exploration of the lengths to which individuals will go to forge an identity in the face of displacement and prejudice.

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