A road movie told by the book: The growing of the character through the road. Two characters without a past or future. The matter is the "here" and "now". And a soundtrack most people would want by the end of this picture.
The initial sequence may be a homage to the "throwing the jar of beer" sequence of Trainspotting, but it settles the tone of latent violence in the whole movie. After some sex a couple just want to go to Algeria, just like that. The same if you are watching the football game and want to buy a pack of gum at the seven-eleven. After that, there's only one word to define how you feel when you see this: Unconfortable. Most of this feeling comes from the fact that this people random like a feather in the wind, going back and forward in their journey as well as in their relationship. After an unnecessary long final exorcism sequence (and if you saw "Twenty-nine palms" and 1975's "Laure") you are enough paranoic to expect the worst. By the end, you will leave a sigh of relief for sure. There are good sequences, good acting, Lubna Azabal is sensual, Romain Duris is good, anyway, you'll decide what you conserve and what you throw away. And, yes, the soundtrack is superb going from the modern electronic hybrids, passing through the flamenco, until the source of all in the Algerian (and therefore by extension African and eastern) types of music. The music composed by the director, Tony Gatlif, is so good that you may wonder if the whole movie was just a big excuse to sell you the soundtrack (and sorry, Mr. Gatlif). But this factor certainly raises the level of the film. And the theme of the road movie also gives a chance to shoot an attractive cinematography. It's up to you.
The initial sequence may be a homage to the "throwing the jar of beer" sequence of Trainspotting, but it settles the tone of latent violence in the whole movie. After some sex a couple just want to go to Algeria, just like that. The same if you are watching the football game and want to buy a pack of gum at the seven-eleven. After that, there's only one word to define how you feel when you see this: Unconfortable. Most of this feeling comes from the fact that this people random like a feather in the wind, going back and forward in their journey as well as in their relationship. After an unnecessary long final exorcism sequence (and if you saw "Twenty-nine palms" and 1975's "Laure") you are enough paranoic to expect the worst. By the end, you will leave a sigh of relief for sure. There are good sequences, good acting, Lubna Azabal is sensual, Romain Duris is good, anyway, you'll decide what you conserve and what you throw away. And, yes, the soundtrack is superb going from the modern electronic hybrids, passing through the flamenco, until the source of all in the Algerian (and therefore by extension African and eastern) types of music. The music composed by the director, Tony Gatlif, is so good that you may wonder if the whole movie was just a big excuse to sell you the soundtrack (and sorry, Mr. Gatlif). But this factor certainly raises the level of the film. And the theme of the road movie also gives a chance to shoot an attractive cinematography. It's up to you.