Summary
In 1974, Zouina leaves her native Algeria, with her three young children and domineering
mother-in-law, to join her husband in France, who has lived and worked there for the past
ten years. Zouina’s unhappiness at leaving her home and family behind is increased
when her sour-faced neighbours take a dislike to her and her husband beats her for disobeying
him. When she learns there is an other Algerian family in the area, she sets out
to look for them, knowing that her husband and mother-in-law will be furious when they
learn she has left the house without permission...
Review
Drawing on her own childhood recollections, Yamina Benguigui paints an evocative portrait
of a young immigrant woman and her family in this, her first full length film. The
film is set in the mid-1970s, when the French government relaxed its immigration policy
to allow the families of Algerian men working in France to come over and live with them.
At this time, racial integration was virtually non-existent, and one thing the film captures
very well is the sense of isolation and vulnerability that the Algerian family experiences
upon its arrival in France.
Although there is some good material in the film (not least of which is Fejria Deliba’s
arresting performance), it is slightly marred by its excesses, which weaken the film's
sense of realism. This is most apparent in the innumerable scenes where every other
character (Zouina, her mother, her husband, the garden-obsessed neighbour, etc.) loses
control and goes into a manic fit, hurling abuse and hitting out at anything in sight.
In many of these scenes, this behaviour appears unprovoked and excessive, and, far from
arousing the spectator’s sympathy, it becomes a source of irritation.
Another fault is that few of the native French characters in the film are believable -
most appear to be stereotypes lacking in depth and credibility. Whilst some of the
comic touches in the film are pleasing, even these are pushed to excess in a few places
and end up undermining the drama. So, whilst it is possible to enjoy
the film for its naiveté and unusual comic style, its lack of conviction and abundance
of histrionics prevent it from being the more potent work it could have been.
© James Travers 2002
|
