Abdel Kechiche Movies

A woman turned into a sideshow attraction by those who imagine themselves her superiors struggles to maintain her dignity in this drama based on a true story. Sarah "Saartjie" Baartma (Yahima Torres) was born in South Africa but found a certain fame in Europe in the first decades of the 19th century, as she was exhibited like a sideshow attraction by Hendrick Caezar (Andre Jacobs), who billed her as "The Hottentot Venus" and encouraged audiences to view her as part human, part animal. Baartma performed like a trained animal under Caezar's direction, and sometimes she was required to appear nude before the crowds as spectators were allowed to touch her buttocks and genitals. When reporters condemn Caezar's exploitation of Baartma, she declares in court that she's acting of her own free will, but she's hesitant to explain why she allows herself to be treated so poorly. When Baartma's partnership with Caezar comes to an end, she finds herself working with a French showman, Reaux (Olivier Gourmet), who is even less scrupulous as he parades her before slumming French aristocrats, and later she is at the mercy of Georges Cuvier (Francois Marthouret), a scientist who uses her as part of his vile experiments in hopes of proving Africans are racially inferior. Written and directed Abdellatif Kechiche, Venus Noire (aka Black Venus) received its North American premiere at the 2010 New York Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

An embittered television executive working for a hip-hop-oriented music channel finds her fate intricately tied with a New York City taxi driver after hailing his cab for questionable purposes in director Jeff Stanzler's intimate look at the tenuous relationship between Caucasians and Muslims in post-9/11 America. Phoebe (Robin Wright Penn) hates her job at Q Dog TV, and focuses the brunt of her disgruntled rage squarely on co-worker Phyllis MacIntyre (Sandra Oh). During the course of their extended journey to Phoebe's suburban destination, troubled Muslim cab driver Ashade (Abdel Kechiche) confides to his passenger that the arrest of his brother on charges of suspected terrorism has thrown his family into chaos. Though the increasingly unstable Phoebe listens diligently to Ashade's tragic confession -- even offering to help the distraught Syrian chemist-turned-cab driver's struggling family -- it's only after arriving at his fare's destination that Ashade truly begins to grasp Phoebe's true nature and realize that he has made a grave mistake in placing his trust in her. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Over forty and in a bit of a midlife crisis, Tunisian film director Raouf (Abdelatif Kechiche) is prone to excessive drinking when not engaged in an argument with his French-born wife Lou (Marianne Basler). One respite to Raouf's dreary life is a recent film assignment -- to shoot an autobiographical film about his childhood. While working on the script, Raouf recalls his childhood home life under the strictures instituted by his devoutly religious father. The polar opposite of Raouf's father was his uncle Mansour (Hichem Rostom), a jolly, life-loving soul who introduced Raouf to cinema through his work as a wandering film projectionist, which angered and shocked his father to no end but proved to be the most pivotal development in the youngster's life. Through cinema, Raouf found his place in this world and came-of-age -- something he may have to revisit in his adult life if he wishes to salvage his marriage. ~ Ryan Shriver, Rovi

Is Nosfer Arbi a vampire? Or is he just a very emaciated, very strange and possibly quite lonely young man from an Arabic country with an obsession with death? On the other hand, why is the previously cheery Parisian teenager Nathalie Belfond throwing fits and speaking in Arabic? Her strange behavior began with the appearance of a caped and cadaverous man outside her window. Mr. & Mrs. Belfond have their hands full trying to sort this mess out, in this extremely unusual and award-winning comedy which puts a new wrinkle on the vampire mythos. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

The lines between love, sex, and politics become hopelessly blurred in this French drama from director Andre Techine. Jeanne (Sandrine Bonnaire), born and raised in Northern France, is visiting the Mediterranean for the first time, prompted by two events: the wedding of her sister, and the disappearance of her brother. Jeanne's brother is a deaf-mute who supports himself as a pickpocket under the tutelage of Said (Abdel Kechiche), and one of his only friends is Klotz (Jean-Claude Brialy), an older married man with bisexual leanings who has a weakness for young Arab boys. Jeanne meets Klotz and finds herself attracted to his son Stephane (Simon de la Brosse), who like his father is interested in both women and men. However, Jeanne also meets Said, and she finds herself infatuated with him as well, and she's soon torn between the two in a romantic and sexual dilemma that mirrors France's political turmoil regarding the nation's growing Arab population. Jean-Claude Brialy's performance in this film earned him a Best Supporting Actor award from the French Academy of Cinema. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi