Though it is seldom discussed (or acknowledged) in the West, modern-day France incorporates a substantial number of immigrant communities, with many indigenes from North Africa populating the bucolic regions of southern Gaul. Abdel Kechiche's La Graine et le Mulet hones in on one such community, located on the ocean, which exudes a laid-back, unforced rhythm and a slower pace of life for all of its residents. For many years, one such occupant, sexagenarian Slimane Beiji (Habib Boufares), has
nurtured a single lifelong dream: to open up his own couscous and fish restaurant in the community. This dream appears ever more impossible when Slimane is promptly laid off, but he soon lands on the idea of occupying a wrecked boat and converting it into the restaurant. Meanwhile, the gentleman has recently divorced his wife, Souad (Bouraouia Marzouk), and has moved into a hotel owned by his lover, Latifa (Hatika Karaoui), but Slimane's extended family continues to meet at Souad's home on a weekly basis for her beloved fish couscous, where they expostulate their views on life and reflect on the state of their relationships with one another. In a tangentially related subplot, Slimane's oldest son, Hamid (Abdelhamid Aktouche), enjoys an extramarital affair, ignoring his nuptials with his Russian wife and the presence of his infant boy, and thus endangering the sanctity and happiness of his family. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
Time stretches out to the limits of endurance, Slimane's and ours, and there are moments toward the conclusion of this picture when you will want to scream and throw things at the screen, but it's mesmerizing. When it does end, suddenly, it feels a little
A ponderous tragedy about put-upon manhood? A verite snoop into cultures that are sexually mingled but publicly uneasy? A pill to be swallowed in the name of serious filmgoing? Maybe all of these.
The Secret of the Grain takes one man, his children, their spouses and babies, his ex-wife, his girlfriend, her daughter, and his friends and turns it all into a masterpiece about the strange power of food -- to heal, unite, exasperate.
The wonderful thing about Hafsia Herzi in The Secret of the Grain...is the way she and the character tiptoe around the story's edges for a while, taking their time and easing onto the audience's radar.
Many great suspense sequences have been built around props: a bomb under the table, explosives in the back of the truck, a nuclear launch code. And now couscous.
As much about see-food as seafood, The Secret of the Grain is as close to a contemporary fable as we have, and on Blu-ray, life appears to flower from every sexily exposed navel.
When the film, as it must, comes to an end after two and a half hours, you won't be ready; the bond made to this family makes its sudden absence feel downright brutal. [Blu-ray]
Despite some strong performances from the mostly amateur cast, as well as some intriguing insights into family dysfunctions and racial prejudice, the movie still comes across as being self-indulgent and at least a little disappointing.
A very good film that I almost turned off 40 minutes in. I'm very glad I didn't, the ending alone is worth sticking it out for. Aside from the over-long exposition, La Graine et le Mulet is a film that is really, really interesting to think about after watching it, as it tells a story of one family finding its place in
its adopted homeland. It's very hard to summarize the story without ruining the drama, but suffice to say that Claude Berri plays into stereotypes very well, and over the course of the film turns you for and against his protagonists very easily. I think this film is meant to expose the viewer's pre-conceived notions and make you question yourself: if you're French and happen to be a little xenophobic, you'll see it very differently than if you're an immigrant to France from North Africa... and if you're a neutral Canadian like me? It's an eye-opener to a variety of discrimination that's generally not seen here, and a good film to watch for that reason. The movie's a bit on the long side, but all in all it is worth sticking it out for enjoyable and poignant second half.
An intimate invitation into the lives of a French-Arab family, THE SECRET OF THE GRAIN is a long and complex drama that reveals multiple aspects of familial relationships by utilizing various dynamics that reflect its characters' emotions without the need to overly express. Abdel Kechiche's film features performances
from its large ensemble cast that are impressive, natural, and always believable, as well as a story that builds gradually and effectively before reaching an abrupt but satisfying climax. Shot entirely hand-held, the film's visual style places us right next to the family members as they eat, argue, converse, and panic as if we were included in their small community. In doing so, Kechiche has crafted a film that is both intricate and genuine - one that never feels long and is subtly riveting til the very end.
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