Yasmine Belmadi Movies
The freewheeling sexuality of three men (one of whom lives as a woman) leads them into a relationship that stretches the traditional bounds of love and friendship in this drama. Stéphanie (Stéphanie Michelini) is a pre-operative transsexual who supports herself as a prostitute and shares a flat with two roommates -- Mikhail (Edouard Nikitine), a Russian soldier who has fled the army and is hiding out in Paris, and Jamel (Yasmine Belmadi), a hustler from Algeria who services stray men in the city's railway stations. When Stéphanie's mother (who is still in deep denial about her son's new life) falls seriously ill, she travels to the small town where she was born to help care for her. Mikhail opts to tag along, and when business starts to dry up in Paris, Jamel follows them to the country. As Stéphanie struggles with her mother, both Mikhail and Jamel find themselves falling in love with her, and when she is forced to pick between them, Stéphanie chooses not to choose, opting to pursue an open relationship with both men. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Gilles Marchand, who co-wrote the scripts for Human Resources and With a Friend Like Harry..., makes his directorial debut with Who Killed Bambi?, which he co-wrote with Vincent Dietschy. Isabelle (Sophie Quinton) is a student nurse. One night while leaving the hospital, she hears a ringing in her ear and loses her balance, passing out. When she awakens, the handsome young Dr. Philipp (Laurent Lucas of With a Friend Like Harry...) is standing over her. Amused by the young woman's seeming inability to stand on her own feet, he nicknames her "Bambi." Isabelle is not amused. Their relationship becomes adversarial when Isabelle notices that someone has been diluting the hospital's supply of general anesthetic. She suspects that the doctor is drugging female patients so that he can have sex with them. Before long, it's not just medicine, but patients who are going missing. Isabelle's boyfriend, Sami (Yasmine Belmadi), an intern, begins to think that she's having an affair with Dr. Philipp, and no one believes her accusations, not even her cousin, Véronique (Catherine Jacob), a more experienced nurse. Isabelle finds herself in danger, and her recurring fainting spells create a situation in which she may soon find herself on Dr. Philipp's operating table. Who Killed Bambi? was shown at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival and at the Walter Reade Theater in New York as part of the Film Society of Lincoln Center's 2004 Rendez-Vous With French Cinema. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laurent Lucas, Sophie Quinton, (more)
- 2001
A handful of Parisians leave the city behind and head for the beach, with a variety of romantic predicaments following in their wake in this light comedy. Philippe (Serge Hazanavicius) takes his wife and children on a vacation by the sea; however, his lively (and younger) mistress Camille (Sandrine Le Berre) follows him, with little intention of being discreet. Anita (Agnes Soral), who is pregnant, heads out for some sun and fresh air with her partner, Pauline (Veronique Boulanger), though Pauline soon finds her commitment to fidelity severely tested. Attractive Carla (Vanessa Gravina) hits the beach with her less glamorous friend Laurette (Isabelle Gelinas), who has had problems finding the man of her dreams. Rafik (Yasmine Belmadi) and his kid brother Aziz (Maher Kamoun) are enjoying the ocean thanks to tickets they received as a present. And Jimmy (Gad Elmaleh) is a single guy looking for love (or something like it), and he's not shy about asking any woman that crosses his path. Les Gens En Maillot De Bain Ne Sont Pas (Forcement) Superficiels was the first feature directed by Eric Assous, who previously established himself as a screenwriter. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Isabelle Gélinas, Serge Hazanavicius, (more)
Bernard Stora directs this coming-of-age drama about a single-minded soccer player sidetracked by love. Laurant (Jalil Lespert) lives in a crowded little abode with his mother, a pair of half-brothers, and an Arabic-speaking grandmother. Laurent's soccer-playing prowess has garnered the attention of scouts from a professional team in Nantes. Believing that sex only distracts an athlete's focus, he has never bothered much with girls until he meets Fabienne (Mireille Perrier), the sexy single mother of one of his mates. Soon, a May-December relationship blooms between the two. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chantal Banlier, Yasmine Belmadi, (more)
- 1999
A brooding Arab-French youth (Yasmine Belmadi) is told by his now dead mother that his long-lost father was actually a well-to-do businessman in Grenoble. He promptly dumps his girlfriend in Paris and tries to pursue the old man. He manages to both get a job at his dad's factory and to bed the company's sexy cashier (Valerie Donzelli). After he gets the brush-off when he finally does confront his father, he plots revenge. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yasmine Belmadi, Bernard Verley, (more)
French bad boy director François Ozon, who caused a stir with his controversial first feature Sitcom (1998) and his shorts A Summer Dress (1997) and See the Sea (1997), creates a dark and brooding tale of transgression and sexuality for his second feature outing. Alice (Natacha Régnier) is a bored, spoiled high schooler with a gorgeous body and a sociopathic mind. She persuades one of her suitors, the naive and trusting Luc (Jeremie Renier), to murder another suitor, the handsome, rakish Said (Salim Kechiouche). The criminal act itself, though exceedingly messy, proves to be the easy part, as disposing of the body becomes the much thornier problem. They throw the corpse in the truck of Luc's parents' car and drive to a creepy forested area in Provence. In their haste to bury the body, they lose their way. Without warm clothes or food, they wander deeper into the forest until they happen upon a seemingly deserted shack. At this point, the film's narrative suddenly mutates from its Badlands-like beginning into a bizarre, horrifying version of Hansel and Gretel. When the resident of the hut returns, he rousts them at gun point into the cellar dungeon, where to their horror they find Said's exhumed cadaver -- missing a leg. It soon becomes apparent that the hermit plans to cook and eat the couple, but not before making Luc his sex slave. Alice quickly realizes that the world does not bend to her whims. Influenced by both Luis Buñuel and Jean-Luc Godard, Ozon's wickedly baroque film is an assault on the listless bourgeoisie and an exploration of the pitch-black corners of the soul. This film was screened at the 1999 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Natacha Régnier, Jérémie Renier, (more)
- 1998
Sebastien Lifshitz directed this French drama, winner of the 1998 Prix Jean Vigo. Born to a North African father and a French mother, 18-year-old Parisian high school senior Remi (Yasmine Belmadi) works part-time in an Arab grocery store while studying management and commerce. He responds to a school ad seeking subjects for a film, and Marc (Pierre-Loup Rajot), who placed the ad, auditions Remi by filming an interview with him. Remi and Marc wind up in bed, and Remi soon has other sexual experiences -- with a guy (Lifshitz) in a men's room and with a young woman (Margot Abascal) who grabs him while she's dancing in the street. The soundtrack features North African music. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yasmine Belmadi, Pierre-Loup Rajot, (more)
