Themes: Down on Their Luck, Mothers and Daughters, Immigrant Life
Main Cast: Ariane Ascaride, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Gérard Meylan, Alexandre OGou, Pierre Banderet
Release Year: 2000
Country: FR
Run Time: 143 minutes
Plot
Racism, violence, and drug abuse run rampant in this ensemble drama set in the southern French city of Marseilles. Michele (Ariane Ascaride) spends her days working in a fish factory, where she earns a living to support her unemployed husband and her teenage daughter Fiona (Christine Brucher). In addition to being the mother of a three-month-old, Fiona is also a heroin addict and a prostitute. Thanks to her habit, Fiona is increasingly unable to work, and Michele helps her daughter by exchanging sexual favors for money with Paul (Jean-Pierre Darroussin), an ex-dock worker with more than a few problems of his own. Michele gets drugs for Fiona from Gerard (Gerard Meylan), the sullen proprietor of a small bar who engages in such shady pastimes as political assassination. Meanwhile, Abderramane (Alexandre Ogou), a young African man recently out of prison, finds himself attracted to Vivienne (Julie-Marie Parmentier), a social worker married to a womanizing high-society snob whom she detests. Her spite towards her husband leads Vivienne to claim that she respects poor people who vote for the Far Right more than moneyed individuals who talk a lot about helping the poor but do almost nothing. Vivienne's frustration, coupled with that of the other characters, illustrates the overriding tension that threatens to build to society's collapse. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
Cast
Ariane Ascaride - Michele
Jean-Pierre Darroussin - Paul
Gérard Meylan - Gerard
Alexandre OGou - Abderramane
Pierre Banderet - Claude
Jacques Boudet - Paul's Father; Pascale Roberts - Paul's Mother; Julie-Marie Parmentier - Vivane; Christine Brucher - Fiona
Credit
Robert Guédiguian - Director, Bernard Sasia - Editor, Michel Vandestien - Production Designer, Bernard Cavalie - Cinematographer, Robert Guédiguian - Producer, Gilles Sandoz - Producer, Michel Saint-Jean - Producer, Laurent Lafran - Sound/Sound Designer, Robert Guédiguian - Screenwriter, Jean-Louis Milesi - Screenwriter
