Drama about racial tensions in a small French town, with the central plot revolving around a 22 year old epilepsy sufferer called Freddy. The film explores the monotonous nature of life in the town using a group of guys, including Freddy and the venting of their anger on an Arab boy whom Freddy believes to be a sexual rival. The film also explores the boredom of Freddy by showing how tedious and monotonous his life is, his only respite being found in the sex he has with his girlfriend and the seemingly endless rides into the countryside that he has on his moped.
None of the film is as interesting as it might sound and has little merit other than the scene towards the end of the film where Freddy is lying in the grass after escaping from prison, which though beautiful could not begin to redeem this boring, monotonous and quite self indulgent film. The sex scenes are appallingly shot and unromantic in the extreme but I dare say a necessary addition to the film, showing the lack of communication and love between Freddy and his girlfriend Marie. Then there's the long shots of Freddy and his friends riding their mopeds through the French countryside, which are very boring and too frequent.
Scenes of interest in the film are the aforementioned one at the end of the film, and the one where Freddy and the gang visit a friend in hospital who is dying of AIDS. This scene is quite well observed and the only one where there is anywhere near good acting.
My main quarrel with this film is that there is little character developement and little emphasis on the racism aspect of the storyline which according to the box cover is what the film is all about. A film that has been called 'important' by certain reviewers should at least stay true to its themes and and have some sort of message which this film clearly does not.
Overall, I didn't completely dislike this film - in some places I found it touching and perhaps moving, but it isn't worthy of the full marks it has been given in some reviews. The acting is sub-standard and the script is atrocious - or maybe that's just the translation, and the film is very jumpy.
All in all a fair attempt from first time director 'Bruno Dumont', which catches the mood of each scene exceptionally well, but unless you have the opportunity to see this film for free, it really isn't worth bothering with. If you want to see a truly great French film - try 'Amelie'.
2/5
None of the film is as interesting as it might sound and has little merit other than the scene towards the end of the film where Freddy is lying in the grass after escaping from prison, which though beautiful could not begin to redeem this boring, monotonous and quite self indulgent film. The sex scenes are appallingly shot and unromantic in the extreme but I dare say a necessary addition to the film, showing the lack of communication and love between Freddy and his girlfriend Marie. Then there's the long shots of Freddy and his friends riding their mopeds through the French countryside, which are very boring and too frequent.
Scenes of interest in the film are the aforementioned one at the end of the film, and the one where Freddy and the gang visit a friend in hospital who is dying of AIDS. This scene is quite well observed and the only one where there is anywhere near good acting.
My main quarrel with this film is that there is little character developement and little emphasis on the racism aspect of the storyline which according to the box cover is what the film is all about. A film that has been called 'important' by certain reviewers should at least stay true to its themes and and have some sort of message which this film clearly does not.
Overall, I didn't completely dislike this film - in some places I found it touching and perhaps moving, but it isn't worthy of the full marks it has been given in some reviews. The acting is sub-standard and the script is atrocious - or maybe that's just the translation, and the film is very jumpy.
All in all a fair attempt from first time director 'Bruno Dumont', which catches the mood of each scene exceptionally well, but unless you have the opportunity to see this film for free, it really isn't worth bothering with. If you want to see a truly great French film - try 'Amelie'.
2/5