Jean-Jacques Benhamou Movies
Two lifelong friends set off on a remarkable adventure in this animated feature. Azur (Rayan Mahjoub) is an orphaned boy living in 18th century France, where he's being raised by Jenane (Hiam Abbass), a nurse of Arab heritage who cares for the boy alongside her own son, Asmar (Abdelsselem Ben Amar). Jenane regales the boys with tales of the mysterious Fairy Djinn, a magical creature with great powers but equally great protectors at her disposal. Azur is sent away to school, but when he returns home as a grown man (now voiced by Cyril Mourali), he finds Jenane and Asmar have gone. Convinced the Fairy Djinn is responsible, Azur hops a ride aboard a sailing ship and sets out to find the Djinn as well as his friends. However, in time Azur meets up with Asmar (now voiced by Karim M'Ribah) only to discover he and his mother are also searching for the powerful Djinn for their own purposes. Now that his best friend has become a competitor in the race to find the Djinn, Azur recruits a team of helpers to aid him as he tries to beat Asmar in their game. Azur and Asmar received its world premiere at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Kynman, Nigel Pilkington, (more)
A disciple of Sun Tzu's The Art of War sets out on to the streets of contemporary Paris on a dangerous mission known to no one but himself in director Michael Jaffer's pulse-quickening thriller. A nameless begins going through the motions of his regular routine. It's his birthday, and before long it becomes apparent that something sinister is about to unfold. After staging a particularly dangerous execution, the mysterious assassin's life gradually begins to unravel as a seemingly endless series of adversaries emerge to challenge him. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christian Baltauss, Gilles Bellomi, (more)
- 1996
Lucie (Sara Haxaire) is a stripper who has a difficult relationship with her disappointed mother (Evelyne Ker). When Charles, the strip-club emcee, brings his blind brother Jean (Jean-Jacques Benhamou) to work, Lucie starts a relationship with him, just for the perverse reason that he can never see her even though she is on view for any paying customer. Jean recently lost his eyesight in an accident, and is bitter and possibly suicidal. His relationship with Lucie is abusive and violent, but that seems to be just what the two of them want. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean-Jacques Benhamou, Sarah Haxaire, (more)
