The Secret Of The Grain (2007)

You could play a drinking game with Abdellatif Kechiche's "The Secret of the Grain" (2007). Drink up a shot every time someone mentions Couscous! It isn't for nothing though, because at the very heart of Kechiche's film is this signature Tunisian delicacy, the one weapon with which its protagonist hopes to turn his world around.

A veteran shipping yard worker, Slimane (Habib Boufares) finds himself in a desperate career crisis at the age of 61, as modernization and outsourcing threaten to deprive him of his bread and butter. Hope knocks in the form of his big fat family of French Arab immigrants, some old friends, well-wishers and most importantly, the great taste of his ex-wife's home-made Couscous! While bringing down an old abandoned ship, Slimane experiences a straight-faced eureka moment; that of converting the ship into a restaurant that specializes in Couscous.

But the task is not an easy  one, as Slimane, assisted by his lover/landlady's comely young daughter, Rym, comes to realize. Convincing the powers that be to authorize and finance him in his dream project proves to be a gargantuan challenge. After much effort, blood, sweat and tears, a grand party is arranged to do the convincing, perhaps with a little taste of the ol' Couscous! Will his dream set sail and stay afloat in a sea full of bureaucratic sharks who threaten to sink his ship of hope? Will Slimane be able to pull it off or will the ain (curse) hinder his aspirations?

Kechiche's film unfolds in three acts. The first chronicles the beginning of his woes as he loses his job and learns that there may not be anymore work. This segment also introduces us to his extended family with his ex-wife, and his new family with a younger love interest. Various subplots, some central to the events that follow make way into the story, including Slimane's son Majid's torrid affairs. A particular expose that projects a connection between Majid's philandering nature and the pivotal climactic episode is very subtly inserted in a scene that one might blink and miss. 

The second deals with his business brainwave and his attempts to get things moving with his adopted daughter Rym as his aide. It is an interesting choice by the filmmaker to completely omit the details leading to this juncture in the story, including any explicit act of convincing his family to join in into his ambitious venture. In lieu of the drama that could possibly have accompanied this whole scenario, Kechiche spends a lot more time on an extended Sunday meal sequence, quite naturally shot, with glib conversations and intimate close-ups, sometimes uncomfortable to the extent of even showing food contents in the characters' mouths! The details of how he got his ex-wife to help him in his cause is instead explained as part of a conversation of some gossiping old fogies, claiming to be friends of Slimane.

And the final act, which is also the most important one showcases his last-ditch effort in making things work, by giving everyone a taste of his labour of love.  This entire sequence provides most of the dramatic edge to the story, with a lot of suspenseful and tense moments that showcase Kechiche's directorial prowess. There is some delicious icing on the cake, an exotic, sensuous belly dance presented as a surprise act by the gorgeous Rym. This is a very relevant scene and not superfluous as is often the case.

Kechiche constructs his tale beautifully, with a lot of focus on dialog and intimate character interactions. There are a myriad interesting characters, all of them quite likable despite their flaws. The conversation scenes are especially noteworthy in the manner in which they have been shot. They have an organic, casual vibe, almost like a documentary and the actors seem to forget that there is a camera rolling, capturing it all. 

At the center of it all is our brooding, aging hero, Slimane, whose perpetually long face speaks a million words. It is a remarkable performance by Habib Boufares, whose social awkwardness is more than convincing, well supported by Hafsia Herzi, as Rym who tries to use her youthful charm to be the face of the venture by doing all the talking with the authorities.

Special mention must be reserved for Alice Houri as Julia, Majid's wife who chews the entire scene in which she breathlessly rants about her husband's addiction to affairs. It is a strikingly natural act and for a while we forget that it is an act.

A sharp contrast in the immigrant Arabs and the snooty, authoritative French bureaucrats is quite tangible in Kechiche's characterization. This divide creates direct stereotypes in some of the characters and intentionally so, for they serve to prove a point or two towards the culmination, including the hypocrisy of the bourgeoisie and an innate racial trait of wanting to crush the lowly, their merit notwithstanding.

In the end, regardless of the outcome (and we can only hope for the best) of ol' Slimane's endeavours, it is heartening to see all these colourful characters, especially his two families, come together despite their mutual disdain for each other, to lift his spirits up and walk with him to achieve his goal.

Score: 4.5/5

As Long As You've Got Your Health (1966)

Pierre Étaix, in collaboration with Jean-Claude Carrière, presents in the so-called An Entertainment in Four Acts, an uproariously funny worldview of the modern society. Although made in the 60s, "As Long As You've Got Your Health" (1966), an anthology of four comic shorts, is as relevant today, as the time it was conceived.

All four shorts are loosely related in the way they serve as a biting commentary on the excesses of modernization, consumerism, urbanization and its associated effects on human life,  albeit exaggerated to absurd proportions for comedic effect.

In the first segment "Insomnia", Étaix sits with a vampire novel in bed. The sheer ingenuity on display is extraordinary in the way a simple activity like reading a book is turned into an extended visual gag. A tiny detail like even the transparent cover of a book manages to develop into a funny idea and you are left applauding with amazement as the material that Étaix's character reads, visually manifests into what looks like a silent era vampire film.

Actions repeat, or are sometimes seen upside down, in a visual translation of his handling of the book. The story in the novel unfolds and its reader gets increasingly unsettled, especially when he starts to imagine things. The effectiveness of fiction, the craze, the captivating power of this form of art, and the way in which we literally let a story become a part of our reality is illustrated with this subtly funny and clever segment.

Next up is the visit to "The Movies", a superb, well observed episode that satirizes every minute detail that is associated with the activity of going to the cinemas. The long queues, the robotic movements, audiences least interested in the film and only interested in sleeping or chatting or making out, while the genuine ones waiting to get a glimpse of the screen struggle with their seating arrangement; all familiar aspects covered in a riotous fashion.

The segment takes a wildly surreal turn when the commercials on the screen meld with the reality of the protagonist, as he finds himself visiting an entire family that's a living, breathing, commercial with advertising products in day to day conversations, being a part of their lifestyle! This is the most unnerving segment of the lot with some urgent and restless jazz score in the background, infused to accentuate the effect of a relentless assault of sales commercials in the visual media, enslaving the audiences, and nurturing the consumerist/materialist culture prevalent in society. This is perhaps the best segment of the four.

The third episode is the title segment that shifts focus to the aspect of rapid industrialization and urbanization, and its detrimental effects on the peace and well-being of an individual. And therefore, it opens on an almost apocalyptic but hilarious note that sees an entire city trembling from the vibrations of large machines doing road repair work, as cranes, cars, and other contraptions add to the noise and air pollution. Entire structures begin to feel the tremors, indoors as well as outdoors.

The fast life and lack of peace leads to an inevitable stress for mostly all individuals including a doctor himself who becomes a bundle of nerves even in the process of prescribing medicines! And in the midst of all this is yet another media/ad campaign urging everyone to keep smiling, no matter how bad the situation in the street on a regular, chaotic city day! The crowd complies with the smiling campaign, while the chaos continues, resulting in a wickedly funny situation of conflicting reactions; and yet very much the sad reality of our existence. Aren't we all left with no choice but to smile through all the mundane rigmaroles?

The final section shifts the action to a more serene atmosphere in the country, away from the city hustle and bustle. A hunter out to get some fowl in a farm land, inadvertently becomes a catalyst troublemaker for a couple of picnickers and a farmer trying to fix a fence around his field. The comedy in this segment may seem to be a tad repetitive or borderline silly, but its essence, the transportation to the country, is the real take-home.

Despite escaping from the troubles of the city, a city-bred couple can never find any real peace of mind, no matter how far away they go, and will always carry their problems with them, even literally, in the form of an overfilled bag with unnecessary urban items, something that more or less destroys the very purpose of a quiet country outing.

Lost for many years along with other Étaix films, the restored version of "As Long as You've Got Your Health" is technically well-accomplished, and meticulously structured. Pierre Étaix's comic timing is impeccable and the visual gags are mostly great and well executed, barring some exceptions that border on the juvenile. Each segment uses a visibly distinct colour tone.

A grainier, rougher picture texture is used for the vampire episode to give it a look of the silent era, against the more polished, sharper look rendered to the present day scenario. Some finer quirks add to the humour quotient much to our amusement. For example, one cannot help but smile when characters reappear across segments, especially the couple in the theater and their numerous but failed, interrupted attempts at making out!

Add "As Long As You’ve Got Your Health" to your watch-list. It is just above an hour full of visual entertainment that's sure to tickle your funny bone. A constant smile and occasional peals of laughter guaranteed!

Score: 8/10

L'humanité (1999)

In a small and mostly desolate, laid back French town, where seemingly nothing ever happens, an 11-year old girl is found brutally raped and murdered. The crime is unimaginably ghastly, the kind you would look away from. French filmmaker Bruno Dumont shows us the terrifying image of the brutalized body in considerable detail and for good reason too.

"L'humanité" (1999) is not about the mystery of the crime. It is in fact, about the psychological impact of witnessing something so inhuman, examined from one man's perspective, an awkward and socially inept police superintendent, Pharaon DeWinter (Emmanuel Schotté, in a hypnotic, tour de force act). A brilliant character study, the film explores the way this tragic event is received by Pharaon, a man visibly haunted by the gruesomeness of the crime, and its effect on his relationship with others around him, especially his next door neighbor Domino (Séverine Caneele).

Despite being a part of the investigating team, it is apparent from Pharaon's visage and body language that he possesses neither the attitude nor the energy that is essential to crack a case as dangerous as this. He is a very slow, soft, and mild-mannered fellow, a man-child, a weak nincompoop, with possibly some mental issues, and is clearly not fit for his position. The investigation doesn't seem to be moving as it should either. The attitude of the cops is as lackadaisical as the town they reside in. There are no leads. Help eventually has to be brought in from bigger cities.

While he is not on his rather unproductive pursuit of the killer, all that remains for Pharaon is to idle away, and tag along as a third wheel, with Domino and her vulgar boyfriend Joseph (Philippe Tullier) on their excursions around town. When alone, the brooding, contemplative Pharaon seems to be immersed in some sort of deep personal connect with his surroundings, soaking in nature, meditating, or just reflecting with a palpable sadness. There is certainly much more to Pharaon's personality than what meets the eye; perhaps something beyond human understanding. And yet, Pharaon seems to be the only one with any shred of humanity that stands in sharp contrast against the abundant moral corruption around him.

Dumont's languid style with its moody atmosphere and long silences, allows the viewer to comfortably settle in and fixate his/her gaze on Pharaon as the screenplay follows his every move. The camera captures the vast, bleak emptiness of the sleepy town in all its glory. Every frame, no matter how banal, seems to hint at something that Pharaon reflects upon.

Dumont commands our attention and implores us to empathize with Pharaon, as he goes on with his strange activities, some bordering on the downright weird. For instance, Dumont begs the question: why is Pharaon so intently staring at his Superior's chubby pink neck with all its sweat? Is he likening it to something else? Maybe the pig that he so lovingly caresses?

It is interesting how frequently we see a frame that seems to resemble a vaginal slit, an image from the crime that has certainly scarred Pharaon's mind. He cycles, looks back at a long slender road, flanked by bushes and trees on both sides. He looks down a building and in top view, sees two men fighting in a narrow way between two similar constructions. He rejects Domino's sexual advances. He refuses to smell her panties that her ill-humoured boyfriend Joseph passes to him. Could Pharaon be a closeted homosexual or has the image of a brutalized vagina put a dent on his ability to look straight at a woman? Could it have corrupted his vision to an extent that the sight of a woman's genitals seems ugly and sickens him?

There is a gay kiss that comes out of nowhere. If one is to think that Pharaon was in fact taking pleasure in watching Joseph and not Domino, as they make love in an earlier scene, then it would connect. That would also explain Pharaon's approval of Joseph's churlish behavior in public. As it would the twist ending, hinting at an exchange deal of sorts or as a mark of some kind of a sick triumph. But then again, perhaps it is not that easy an answer as a corruption of sexuality.

At one point of time, amid some flower plantations in a garden, Pharaon appears to levitate. Perhaps the levitation is not literal and it is just a trickery device employed by Dumont to visually manifest Pharaon's ethereal feelings of being swept away in nature's bounty.

And then again, there is a possibility that Pharaon indeed did levitate, in which case one can't help but read Dumont's material on a more metaphysical level. Pharaon is some angelic being above humanity, a kind soul, out to correct the balance between good and evil. Pharaon is probably a godsend, a Christ-like entity, albeit not strictly adhering to the popular notion of Christ. He is one who exists as the epitome of kindness; one who will even take the fall for sin of others in the interest of humanity, a supreme sacrifice.

If one were to indeed adhere to the theory that Pharaon is not normal and far beyond ordinary, beyond humanity, then it could explain his touchy-feely ways with suspects brought in for questioning too. Just what exactly does he do with all that too-close-for-comfort sniffing and touching of the suspects' faces? Startling is also the fact that they don't seem to question it or express shock in return. Could Pharaon have the supernatural ability to recognize if a person is guilty by touching and smelling them? Is that how he is, at one point of time, convinced of a certain suspect's guilt? There is nothing explicit to corroborate this, but a mild suggestion is certainly there. But then again, perhaps it means nothing, and they are just some eccentric mannerisms of a mentally unstable cop.

And that is the essence of Dumont's cinematic craft. His magic lies in suspending the truth in this manner so as to not give easy answers. The restraint exercised is remarkable and it is no mean feat that he manages to open up a number of gates for possible interpretations to this enigmatic film in just the last ten minutes of the film! Everything is handled in a very delicate, calculated fashion; be it the sprinkling of humour in the right doses throughout the somber, melancholic atmosphere or maintaining an air of mystery throughout, ensuring that this film experience remains an intoxicating one, long after the credits roll by.

Score: 9/10