Alice Houri Movies

Though it is seldom discussed (or acknowledged) in the West, modern-day France incorporates a substantial number of immigrant communities, with many indigenes from North Africa populating the bucolic regions of southern Gaul. Abdel Kechiche's La Graine et le Mulet hones in on one such community, located on the ocean, which exudes a laid-back, unforced rhythm and a slower pace of life for all of its residents. For many years, one such occupant, sexagenarian Slimane Beiji (Habib Boufares), has nurtured a single lifelong dream: to open up his own couscous and fish restaurant in the community. This dream appears ever more impossible when Slimane is promptly laid off, but he soon lands on the idea of occupying a wrecked boat and converting it into the restaurant. Meanwhile, the gentleman has recently divorced his wife, Souad (Bouraouia Marzouk), and has moved into a hotel owned by his lover, Latifa (Hatika Karaoui), but Slimane's extended family continues to meet at Souad's home on a weekly basis for her beloved fish couscous, where they expostulate their views on life and reflect on the state of their relationships with one another. In a tangentially related subplot, Slimane's oldest son, Hamid (Abdelhamid Aktouche), enjoys an extramarital affair, ignoring his nuptials with his Russian wife and the presence of his infant boy, and thus endangering the sanctity and happiness of his family. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Two hormonally overdriven teens find each other as they try to figure out the ways of love and sex in this French comedy. Fifteen-year-old Roudoudou (Julie Durand) is a girl whose mind has been taken over by a typically adolescent curiosity about sex; she has frequent (and funny) erotic dreams, listens in on her brother as he talks nasty with his girlfriend on the phone, and she's developed a furious crush on a man twice her age. Roudoudou's parents think she needs some help with her awkward stage, and have decided to send her to a psychiatrist. While waiting for her appointment, Roudoudou meets Romain (Alexis Roucout), a 15-year-old boy who is also trying to sort out his new preoccupation with sex. Deciding she'd rather spend time with Romain than talk to an analyst, Roudoudou persuades her friend Lily (Alice Houri) (who is her brother's regular phone date) to visit the shrink in her place. Du Poil Sous Les Roses was directed in collaboration by Agnes Obadia, an established actress who also plays Romain's mother, and first-time helmer Jean-Julien Chervier. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This film is part of the nine volume "Tous les Garcons et les Filles de Leur Age" series which chronicles the adolescent eras of nine prominent directors. "U.S. Go Home," set in 1965, chronicles 24 hours in the lives of three teenagers as they try to finally lose their virginity. Martine, Marlene, and Martine's older brother Alain, live in a small town outside of Paris. They are preparing to attend a wild party where Martine hopes to get laid. Unfortunately Martine is a shy wallflower, and does not get lucky at the party despite the tender consolation of her equally unlucky brother who tried to score with Marlene. Martine's prospects brighten when she accepts a ride home with an initially reticent American soldier. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi