Synonyms: it is hard to overcome how artificial and pretentious Nadav Lapid’s film is. Starting with the situation the main character puts himself into, but including his nature (as well as supporting characters’ natures), his general behavior within each scene and as an arch, the speeches he spews, the stone-faced acting of Tom Mercier and the affected, posed acting of the supporting cast (Quentin Dolmaire in particular); everything is hard to swallow. Aesthetically, the film opts for jarring cinematography (by director of photography Shai Goldman) and editing (by Era Lapid); all of it only increases the annoyance level of the experience. It’s simply too hard to care for or connect to what is happening on the screen.