FILMS/
TWO LADIES
Dans la vie
World Cinema
France, 2007, 73 minutes
SHOWTIMES
Fri, Apr 25 / 8:30 / PFA / TWO25P
Sun, Apr 27 / 4:30 / Kabuki / TWO27K
Mon, Apr 28 / 2:45 / Kabuki / TWO28K
CREDITS
- dir
-
Philippe Faucon
- prod
-
Yasmina Nini-Faucon, Philippe Faucon
- scr
-
Philippe Faucon, Amel Amani, William Karel
- cam
-
Laurent Fénart
- editor
-
Sophie Mandonnet
- cast
-
Sabrina Ben Abdallah, Ariane Jacquot, Zohra Mouffok, Hocine Nini
- source
-
Pyramide International, 5, rue de Chevalier de Saint-George, 75008 Paris, France. FAX: 33-1-40-20-05-51. EMAIL: pricher@pyramidefilms.com
Download a pdf of Short Film Print Sources
Kosher-cooking Muslims and Koran-reading Jews typify the surprising culture clashes that complicate and enliven the contemporary France of Philippe Faucon’s exquisitely observed drama. Fiercely independent Sélima, a dedicated Arab nurse, takes a job caring for sharp-tongued, wheelchair-bound widow Esther, whose Jewish upbringing in Algeria and adulthood in multicultural France have hardened her suspicions of those outside the tribe. Sizing up Esther as a tough cookie requiring more attention than she herself can offer, Sélima appeals to her unusually open-minded mother, Halima, to assist with daycare. Thrown together out of mutual need—Esther craves home-cooked meals and a peer to put up with her complaints, while Halima can use the extra cash to fund her long-planned pilgrimage to Mecca—the pair overcomes personal and political differences to form an unlikely bond. Faucon traces their complex relationship with a light directorial touch, deftly avoiding what might otherwise have been a pedantic polemic pitting religious fundamentalism against secular freedom. His approach, like that of his leading ladies, is thoughtful and even-handed, as in a memorable scene in which a group of veiled women gaze with a mixture of disapproval and envy at topless sunbathers. Esther and Halima ultimately bring out the best in one another; their mutual admiration, like Faucon’s film, puts a fresh spin on that confounding law of physics and friendships: opposites attract.
Thick Skinned WATCH TRAILER
A tense psychological drama about a working-class youth who, to impress his father and friends, terrorizes another kid with near disastrous results. (Jean-Bernard Marlin, Benoit Rambourg, France 2007, 14 min) In GGA competition.
—Steven Jenkins
West Coast Premiere. Sponsored by TV5Monde, French Cultural Services and the French-American Cultural Society.
