The Scheherazade stream of Arab love themes pervades this piece; a Tunisian girl in Paris meets a French Arab boy who like many from his background is stuck between two cultures unable to fully commit to either add to that the fact that he does not know Arabic but still has all the values of rural Algeria although he has never been been there and carries that in him like a secondhand culture his parents brought him up in
The two meet at The Sorbonne to study Erotic and Courting Literature from Medieval Arab Lands and Lore and develop a very strong attraction for one another
The struggle here ironically is the young bilingual and REALLY bilingual; her French is better than 90% of Native French and flawless in her speech; bicultural young student woman who tries to awaken the boy from 93 the ghetto Eastern part of suburban Paris where the French "garrisoned" the Moghrebi workers in the 1960s; places which have become synonymous with unrest ghettoization and total lack of opportunity and almost zero chance of integration all the way to 2022
He is stiff and reluctant and steeped in the culture of the "bled" the villages back home; although back home for him is/should be Paris; 93 Paris
It shows a lot of the themes which trouble that section of the French population; a population which could be termed as "The New French" many of them rudderless; in search of an identity that is not the bled and not Native French; they are seeking new hybrid forms
The theme of Arab lit from the 13th century replete with sensuality and wine is one of the elements here too; the side of Arab culture which Islam does not condone and at times spurns and vilifies
It is an extremely well-handled piece; very balanced the two main actors are truly excellent as is the supporting cast. The director here shows real maturity. Will want to see more from her in the future.
