Divines
- Director: Uda Benyamina
- Writer: Uda Benyamina; Romain Compingt
- Producer: Marc-Benoît Créancier
CGiii Comment
Utterly sensational!
A film that makes a makes one of the most powerful statements about modern-day society...a society that is money-obsessed, brand-obsessed...in these housing estates, to hell with political correctness...this is survival. As the politically correct have re-named prostitution 'survival-sex' work...then, it follows that 'survival-crime' and 'survival-drug-dealing' are now legitimate forms of income! Yes, folks, that's how ridiculous political correctness can - in the wrong hands - become!
This is a simple story...two teenage girls, living in a ghetto, want the 'nicer' things in life...in order to satiate their needs, they become drug dealers...not quite PC survival! Obviously and predictably, things go grizzily as the greed starts to take hold. More. More. More. Money. Money. Money!
Yes, there are the expected clichés...thankfully, this film has two shining lights, Oulaya Amamra and Deborah Lukumuena, together they are electric and angaging. Oulaya Amamra is rarely off-screen and she delivers a spellbinding performance...from raggamuffin to seductress and everything in between!
But...it's those final earth-shattering 10 minutes that make this film soar...seriously controversial, morally challenging, astutely questioning...who are to blame!?!
A stunning [beautifully scored] piece of work!
Trailer...
The(ir) Blurb...
With staggering self-assurance and disarming creativity, director Houda Benyamina bursts onto our screens with the frenetic story of Dounia, a teenage girl living in a crime-fuelled suburb on the outskirts of Paris. Along with her best friend Maimouna, the budding entrepreneur vies for the attention of local dealer Rebecca, whilst simultaneously embarking on a fraught emotional relationship with a handsome male dancer who has caught her eye. But as Dounia’s work and personal lives rapidly escalate, her control begins to slip and she soon finds herself dangerously out of her depth. A neat feminist twist on the typically male-centric terrain of the gangster thriller, this imaginatively directed and sharply-performed drama signals the arrival of some major new talents. In its depiction of female friendships and power dynamics, the film makes for an interesting companion piece to Céline Sciamma’s Girlhood, while as a vibrant explosion of youthful energy and imagination, it stands defiantly on its own.
Michael Blyth
Cast & Characters
Oulaya Amamra as Dounia;
Bass Dhem as Monsieur Camara;
Yasin Houicha as Samir;
Majdouline Idrissi as Myriam;
Jisca Kalvanda as Rebecca;
Deborah Lukumuena as Maimouna;
Kevin Mishel as Djigui