Hottoceame The Age of Commercialism

Greenes Please don't spend money on this.

Listonixio Fresh and Exciting

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

MartinHafer "The Secret of the Grain" has a very respectable score on IMDb and is on DVD from the fancified Criterion Collection (think art films). However, despite this pedigree, I noticed that the reviews tended to either love the film or strongly dislike it. Put me with the latter group, as the film seemed incredibly dull and amateurish in some ways. The biggest problem is that the film is about two and a half hours long--and could have easily been done in 90 minutes. Too often, scenes go on too long and editing is a serious problem. Too often, also, the camera pans about when folks are talking in a group instead of using edits (which would require multiple cameras). The result is sloppy and heightens the dullness of the film. Overall, the story of a 61 year- old man who wants to open a couscous restaurant may not be the most exciting topic in the world--but the film manages to make it even less interesting at every turn. If you want to see some very well made films featuring Muslim characters who are everyday folk, try watching the films of Majid Majidi. They manage to do everything this film couldn't with similar sorts of characters.

paul2001sw-1 For a long film, there's remarkably little plot in Abdellatif Kechiche's 'Couscous', a story an elderly Tunisian immigrant in France who decides to open a restaurant; and if anything, the pace of the action slows as the film progresses, and it ends without reaching even the expected conclusion. In some ways, it feels remarkably like a documentary, even if a real documentary would be unlikely to capture people just talking (or dancing) with the same degree of un-self consciousness that is (deliberately, brilliantly) affected by this film. The scene where one woman berates her absent husband is harrowing, breathtaking: the achievement of the film overall is to capture the rhythms of life, and speech, of the community it portrays. There's both a truth and a poetry here that are the complete opposite of soap opera; though the absence of any concluding pay-off is maybe a step too far. Nonetheless, the film deserved its awards; and never drags, in spite of its length.

gradyharp THE SECRET OF THE GRAIN (LA GRAINE ET LE MULET) as written and directed by Abdellatif Kechiche offers the viewer a different version of the importance of family and the need to bond for survival. Kechiche is known for casting his films with unknown actors (or even fist time actors) and while some may view this as self-indulgent exercise in proving that a film can be made without the aid of a talented cast, others will appreciate the fine performances he is able to draw from both unknowns (Habib Boufares) and stars on the rise (Hafsia Herzi). The story is fairly straightforward (despite the fact that it takes 2 1/2 hours to tell!): in the Southern France port city of Sète, populated with many French-speaking Arab immigrants who eke out a living repairing boats and fishing, lives senior citizen Slimane Beiji (Habib Boufares) and his friends and family - an ex-wife chronically angry about missed alimony payments, an adulterer son, and girlfriend who satisfies him and also has a daughter Rym (Hafsia Herzl) who adores him. Slimane struggles with his job, has his hours cut back severely, and together with his friends who also are suffering economically, bond more strongly. Eventually Slimane comes upon the idea of establishing a restaurant housed in a deserted old ship that he purchases and with the help from his family and his friends (especially supported by Rym) he opens his restaurant that features the fish with couscous recipe of his ex-wife. The reason this too-long film ultimately satisfies is the completely spontaneous atmosphere created by director Kechiche: the dialogue feels completely improvised, as though we happen to be passing by Sète and overheard a colony of down and out immigrants from North Africa transform their fates. It may take a lot of patience to sit through the first half of the film, but the end result is rewarding. Grady Harp

druid333-2 In the grand tradition of film dealing with food as a central centerpiece,'La Graine Et Le Mulet' (released in the U.S.& other English speaking countries as 'The Secret Of The Grain') can easily be placed with other films such as 'Eat,Drink,Man,Woman','Big Night' & 'Babbette's Feast'. Slimane,a sixty something ship yard worker is being pressured by his boss to step down,due to the fact that he's not as fast as the younger men who are working the docks. All of this,plus the pressures of dealing with an ex-wife,who scolds him for non payment of alimony,plus his sons & daughters,who are constantly arguing with each other,as well as their own families is having an effect on his life. Slimane's dream is to refurbish a boat & turn it into a floating restaurant that serves up traditional North African cuisine (with CousCous,the star attraction). After procuring the funds,not to mention going through the bureaucratic b.s. that's necessary for an undertaking of this sort, Slimane is on to realizing his dream. Abdel Kechiche writes & directs a fine story of family bonds & over coming hurdles (or at least trying to over come hurdles). Habib Boufares plays a weary looking Slimane. The rest of the cast is made up of various folk from Tunesia,France & other places. The camera work (by Lubomir Bakchev) opts for a documentary look that really works for this film (as the documentary look also worked fine for 'The Class',earlier this year). If I have any quirk with this film, at two & a half hours,plus,it's a wee bit long in the tooth (several scenes could have been either trimmed,or even cut out,which would not have hurt the films integrity in the least). Make sure you enjoy a full meal before you undertake this film (as you'll be really hungry after wards). Spoken mostly in French & Arabic with English subtitles. Not rated,but contains raunchy language,brief flashes of nudity & some muted sexual content