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Raja (2004)
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Reviews Counted:12
Fresh:8
Rotten:4
Average Rating:6.8/10
Theatrical Release:Mar 26, 2004 Limited
Synopsis: Raja is an orphan. She has been through the worst. She doesn't believe that life can suddenly get better. If she's only going to get by, she'd prefer to earn an "honest" living. Fred is a... Raja is an orphan. She has been through the worst. She doesn't believe that life can suddenly get better. If she's only going to get by, she'd prefer to earn an "honest" living. Fred is a Westerner. Emotionally, he's a busted flush. When he meets her, replanting the grass in his garden, he takes an instant liking to her. He just wants to seduce her. "Sex and no commitment.” It shouldn't be difficult. Raja senses that he only wants to have a little fun with her and that he'll drop her soon after. She's been there too often before. Yet there's something about him that makes her want to believe in him. Unwittingly, she has such an effect on him that he hires her to work in the house. But as she stubbornly refuses to give herself to him, Fred begins to think that she is taking him for a ride, that all she wants is a husband and a visa to make something of her life. As neither speaks the other's language, the misunderstanding between them becomes ingrained. She is fired, revolts and goes back to the boyfriend she had been neglecting but who is at least able to share in her poverty. Fred is desperate and loses himself in the fear of losing her while Raja can no longer bear not seeing him. He re-hires her and, in a moment of panic, comes up with the idea of her marrying her boyfriend, whom he hires as a driver, so as not to lose her. She feels definitively humiliated and convinces herself that she can expect nothing more from him. Money, misunderstood feelings and quarrels play their part… For her, nothing has changed. For him, there is the certainty of having screwed everything up. And the possibility of suffering and, perhaps, of loving again. -- © Film Movement [More]
Starring: Pascal Greggory, Najat Benssallem, Ilham Abdelwahed, Hassan Khissal
Starring: Pascal Greggory, Najat Benssallem, Ilham Abdelwahed, Hassan Khissal, Fatiha Khoulaki, Ahmed Akensouss
Director: Jacques Doillon
Director: Jacques Doillon
Screenwriter: Jacques Doillon
Composer: Philippe Sarde
Producer: Margaret Menegoz, Souad Lamriki, Benedicte Bellocq
Studio: Film Movement
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Reviews for Raja
An unsettling look at Third World politics in the guise of a love story.
Extremely well acted, though the direction by Jacques Doillon is on the leisurely side.
There's little to enjoy in this unsettling tale, but Doillan's unblinking depiction of manipulation and desperation stays with you long after the characters make the deals that seal their unjust fates.
Subtle filmmaking and true-as-life acting make this an acute psychological drama with an engrossing sociological subtext.
Ambiguous and elusive, this film's soft-focus may strike a chord with those who do not look for clear spoon-fed answers.
Raja is an engaging cross-cultural drama set in Morocco about a wealthy middle-aged Frenchman's yearning for a nineteen-year-old local girl who works in his garden.
What distinguishes Raja from every other movie to contemplate the treacherous intersection of passion, avarice and power is its unsettling emotional honesty.
This story of a dissolute Frenchman who uses his money to exploit desperately poor Moroccan girls is upsetting because it pretends to be about love.
Once you remove all the economic and cultural baggage that frustrates the couple's attempts to hook-up, Raja is really just about the thrill of the chase.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
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