Living under racism's shadow

This sprawling epic tells the story of an Ethiopian boy who faces the horrors of a Sudanese refugee camp, but his Christian mother manages to get him to Israel where he has to pretend to be Jewish.

On arrival there he is declared an orphan and is adopted by a French Jewish family living in Tel Aviv.

The problem is that the boy is black. With his film, Radu Mihaileanu, the Jewish Romanian director who now lives in Paris, suggests that racism is everywhere, even among Israelis who ought to know better.

The film stretches out well beyond two hours but has some fine acting, notably by Yael Abecussis as the boy. And the pity is that if you survive the first two hours, the best part comes last.

When will film-makers learn that you should leave audiences wanting more, not less?

Live And Become (Va Vis Et Deviens)
Cert: 12A