Le Ciel, les oiseaux,... et ta mère! (1999) - film review

Four adolescent young men from a rough Parisian housing estate win first prize in an amateur film-making competition, the prize being a dream holiday in the seaside down of Biarritz.  They set out for their holiday with high hopes but within a few days they are out of money and have nothing much to do.  They are determined to pick up some female company...

This first full-length film from 22-year old French film director Djamal Bensalah is a stylish and exuberant teen comedy which was, despite its modest budget, a box office hit in France.  Although the film has notable weaknesses  (a rambling plot, repetitive situations, unconvincing references to racial prejudice, etc.) it has many ingredients which suggest that Bensalah may become a significant figure in French cinema in the next decade.

The place where this is most evident is in the film’s photography and editing, with an unsettling but strangely appropriate use of low resolution home-video sequences inter-cut into the more conventionally shot film.  Probably the film’s best sequence is where one of the boys, a fan of classic cinema, goes to chat up a girl.  What could have been a mundane scene becomes a rare moment of brilliance, ridiculous and touching at the same time, transporting us back to 1940s Hollywood.

Likewise, the film’s soundtrack flips between romantic classical music and trendy hip-hop music.  This gives the impression of a ragged, unpolished film which reflects the precarious lives of the film’s central characters very well without distracting too greatly from the film’s content.

The dialogue is fast, witty and occasionally intelligent, giving the audience some food for thought.  Unfortunately, the film relies heavily on its dialogue and references to French culture, making it far less attractive to a non-French speaking audience.

Another reason for the film’s success in France is the appearance of Jamel Debbouze as one of the lead actors.   Though barely known outside France, Debbouze is currently one of the most popular and well-known comedians in France, with regular appearances on French television. most famously on Canal+’s satirical show, Nulle part ailleurs.

© James Travers 2002

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