macpet49-1
Difficult to watch at times but realistic. I disliked the mother, the daughter (Ilan's sister) most through the film as they are prone to histrionics and screeching/doing irrational things. However, I realized that women do this and perhaps it has to do with body chemistry, I dunno? It's a parable about how when you are young and feel invincible, your hormones can get you into a lot of trouble. That he was attracted to so obvious a Muslim looking girl was his downfall. Stay away from Middle Eastern and Black women and you might be OK. It also is a truth about human beings that has rung through the ages: Human beings are basically no damn good! Wars, drugs, prostitution, poverty, greed, haves/have nots, overpopulation, alien cultures with Nazi values. Better to get a rocking chair and some pets.
archied
I recently viewed this movie on Netflix and was struck by the impression that a movie with a similar plot and circumstances would probably not be produced in the US or the UK. Kudos to the makers of this film who had the courage to tell a true story that most people probably were never aware of and where the characters involved do not fit a preferred template. Most foreign-made movies I've seen on Netflix often are superior to American films in both content and acting, primarily because they are devoid of Hollywood scripting/acting where characters mechanically spew their lines with no reflection of authentic human character or realism.
Sindre Kaspersen
French screenwriter, producer and director Alexandre Arcady's seventeenth feature film which he produced and wrote with French screenwriters Antoine Lacomblez and Emilie Frèche, is an adaptation of a book from 2009 by Ruth Halimi and French author and screenwriter Emilie Frèche. It premiered in France, was shot on locations in France and is a French production. It tells the story about a mother named Ruth, a father named Didier Halimi and their son named Ilan Halimi.Distinctly and precisely directed by French filmmaker Alexandre Arcady, this quietly paced and somewhat fictional tale which is narrated interchangeably from multiple viewpoints, draws an immediately present and reflectively informative portrayal of a French police case from the late 2000s where a French-Jewish citizen and brother was kidnapped and held hostage for ransom. While notable for its versatile and atmospheric milieu depictions, distinct cinematography by cinematographer Gilles Henry, production design by production designer Tony Egry and costume design by costume designer Éric Perron, this narrative-driven and dialog-driven story about French police history and anti-Semitism which is inspired by real events which took place in Paris, France in 2006, contains a great and timely score by composer Armand Amar.This authoritatively concentrated retelling which is set in France in the 21st century and where a twenty-three-year-old human being of Moroccan origins who was taken against his will is the communicator, is impelled and reinforced by its cogent narrative structure, subtle character development, rhythmic continuity, comment by Ruth Halimi: "If my son was not Jewish, he would not be
" and the reverent acting performance by French actress, screenwriter and director Zabou Breitman. A testamentary narrative feature.
nattylap2
Silly me. I thought these reviews were supposed to be about a movie, not a means to dispense convoluted political and racist ideology.This film was so good that I almost felt like applauding at the conclusion. But considering the subject matter, that would have been rather inappropriate. The film was taut and suspenseful, even tho you pretty much suspected how it would end. The performances were all on point. Even the subtitling was well done.Yes, the subject was depressing. But it was a real life story. We can't alter the facts. But you can certainly appreciate the quality, and the message.