Le Thé au harem d'Archimède (1985) Directed by Mehdi Charef
Drama
aka: Tea in the Harem
Film Review
This debut film by Mehdi Charef, based on his semi-autobiographical novel, was well-received
by the critics when it was first released, meriting a special mention at Cannes and winning
the Jean Vigo prize that year. The structure of the film is somewhat muddled
and disorientating, and its lack of focus and direction make it hard for the audience
to become engaged. That said, the film offers a credible - often poignant - depiction
of social exclusion and delinquency from the perspective of two disillusioned teenagers.
The film's main theme is how these two young men, coming from different racial groupings
(one is white, the other Arab), discover an unlikely solidarity through their shared experiences
of poverty and rejection.
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Film Synopsis
Pat and Madjid are two teenagers who come from a run-down housing estate
in Paris. After failing to find work, they begin to lose hope and drift
into a life of petty crime. Both lads have their dreams, but it seems
that for them, as for everyone else in the neighbourhood, there is no way
out of their present precarious life. Madjid's mother is having a hard
time bringing up her large family, but now she finds she has the added responsibility
of taking care of her neighbour Josette's little boy as she sorts her life
out. In spite of their own personal hardships, there is a strong feeling
of community on the estate.
Madjid has fallen head over heels in love with Pat's sister Chantal, but
she apparently has no interest in him and offers him no encouragement.
Shocked to see Chantal walking the streets one evening, Madjid gets himself
drunk with his adolescent buddies and before the night is out they go joy-riding
in a stolen car. The morning after, Madjid and his barely sober friends
find themselves on a stretch of beach in Deauville, cornered by police officers.
When Madjid is arrested, Pat demonstrates his friendship by flagging down
the police van as it goes past...
From Jean Renoir to François Truffaut, French cinema has no shortage of truly great filmmakers, each bringing a unique approach to the art of filmmaking.