Wordiezett So much average

UnowPriceless hyped garbage

SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Jakoba True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

mario_c This movie is a bit weird, but it's a nice multicultural experience though. It's about a man and a woman which are French but have Algerian routs that go on a journey (on a walk trip!) to find out these routs in Alger. They cross the south of Spain and meet many people, from Arabs to Gypsy. This film is very interesting from the cultural point of view, but is a bit weird sometimes, because we don't know anything about these characters, who are they, where they came from. Just during the trip we start finding out something about them, but even so many questions still open after the movie ends. It's an artsy movie, that's for sure, with a great cultural and musical impact, but it gets a bit strange and boring at parts. The plot could have been better, but I'll score it 7/10 because of the great soundtrack (which has Flamenco, Arab and Electro/Techno music), the very weird tribal-ritual scene (near the end), and also the artsy cinematography.

valandil-1 A spiritual journey for the characters and audience alike. I saw this film at a film festival not knowing what to expect. There is not much plot or drama and for viewers seeking those they might be disappointed. What this film does have though is spirit and at intoxicating levels too. The cinematography combined with the music and the journey of the characters combine to put the receptive audience in a kind of trance. An especially memorable scene is a 15 - 20 minute long scene in which the female heroine is exorcised Algerian style, building slowly to a trance. The whole scene is filmed as one shot and the camera is more of a participant than an observer. An experience not to be missed.

happy-bunny I watched this film on French TV recently, and I was pleasantly surprised. I'll admit the main reason I watched this was Romain Duris, who I was so impressed with in De battre mon coeur s'est arrêté. This is actually a really good movie, the music especially really fits well with the scenarios, which is what one would expect from a film by Tony Gatlif. The direction is good and the story is told at quite a pace, so you won't get bored.I watched this without subtitles but that didn't cause me a problem at all. Some parts are really funny (i.e. Zano trying to talk Spanish) and others really sad (Zano crying). I'd certainly recommend watching it especially if you fancy something different from the hum-drum American-ised film style. I really enjoyed seeing this, as it isn't entirely dependant on language, but instead has scenes where the emphasis is on movement, vocalisation and music.After I watched this I found I kept thinking about it - always the mark of a film that connects with you in some shape or form. However, I warn you, this film may give you the urge to go road-tripping to Algeria. 8/10

gitane82 I had been waiting to watch this movie for at least 6 months,since the French cultural center in Jordan announced the programme of the monthly screening of a french movie. My enthusiasm came from my acquaintance with Tony Gatlif's music through the soundtrack of his movie "Vengo" which will always be one of my all times favorites; so full of passion and authenticity. Also later on I purchased Swing's OST of which I had the chance to watch only the last scenes on TV. So this time I was waiting -or couldn't wait- to live the complete experience of Gatlif's blend of music & images. I have NEVER left in the middle of a movie,no matter how horrifying or boring it was, and it is really disappointing for this to be my first time for a film i was so impatient to see. I found the sexuality to be greatly disturbing, but I actually left because it seemed like it was the only thing that was going on. For the first hour of the movie very little music was played (for a movie for which the main raison d'etre is the music itself!). As a viewer I didn't enjoy any of the scenery as the couple traveled, nothing impressive,characteristic or memorable. Same would go for the actors' performance. So instead of walking out with my soul drenched with great universal music, I walked "away" in a terrible frame of mind. Truly a painful and a shocking experience. I have rated 2 instead of 1 (awful)for the sake of the only soundtrack I really enjoyed (and had the chance to listen to before I left), which is the flamenco at the bar scene. I wish there was more of this passionate music through the first half of the movie for I would have stayed till the end. I don't mind a certain degree of sexuality and a plot less movie as long as the cinematography and the enchanting music would make up for everything.