Thomas Gilou Movies
French director Thomas Gilou specializes in films dealing with the daily realities of working-class life and frequently sets his stories within the immigrant-filled suburbs of Paris. Though he most often makes short films, like the César-nominated La Combine de la Girafe (1983), Gilou also occasionally writes and directs feature films, the first of which, Black Mic-Mac (1986), the tale of a suburb largely comprised of North African émigrés, earned him a César for best first film and won a César for most promising male newcomer for leading man Isaac de Bankole. Gilou's third film, Je Vérité Si Je Mens (Would I Lie to You?) (1997), the story of a homeless opportunist who is mistaken for a Jewish person by a wealthy benefactor, was also well-received. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 2007
It is 1960. France encroaches on the wrap-up of the Franco-Algerian war, but for Gallic patriot and military veteran Georges (Gerard Depardieu), intense memories linger of hand-to-hand combat, and every Muslim - in France or abroad - is thus a potential enemy. Georges and his wife, Gisèle (Nathalie Baye) grow desperate for children given their inability to conceive, and have attempted to adopt on several occasions, with no success. On a note of great irony, the attempts finally pay off - with a little raven-haired Muslim boy named Mahmoud (Samy Seghir). Realizing that Georges will never permit this, Gisèle thus sets about disguising the tot as a WASPish European child - carting him back to their home in sunny Berry, France, she dyes his hair blonde, changes his name to Michel, and promptly informs him that he hails from Northern Europe instead of Algeria. So begins the nostalgic drama Michou d'Auber - a film-a-clef for screenwriter Messamoud Hattou, based very loosely on a glossy version of his own childhood. As the picture unfurls, George sets about instilling in the child French linguistics, French patriotism, and stark worship of the patriot Franco general Charles de Gaulle - little recognizing the deception or the ethno-cultural schism that linger before his eyes. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gérard Depardieu, Nathalie Baye, (more)
- 2001
The Sephardic Jewish characters who headlined the riotous 1997 comedy Would I Lie To You? - all employees in the garment business - return for this laugh-filled 2001 sequel. At the center of the farce are Dov (Gad Elmaleh), Patrick (Gilbert Melki), Serge (Jose Garcia), Yvan (Bruno Solo) and Eddie (Richard Anconina), friends for life and colleagues in the said industry, who spend their days wheeling and dealing and establishing connections but run the socioeconomic gamut from filthy rich to lower working class. A series of misunderstandings commences when blue-collar Serge - employed as a motorcycle messenger and living with his parents - takes the wealthy Patrick's blue Rolls Royce convertible out on an errand and runs headfirst into Chochana (Elisa Tovati), a Jewish girl with whom he feels instantly smitten. She naturally assumes, given the car, that he's wealthy - and he of course does nothing to discourage this. In time, Serge manages to prolong the economic ruse to such a degree that he ends up engaged to the high-maintenance Chocana, and on a headfirst collision course with her furniture kingpin father (Enrico Macias). Meanwhile, the garment industry as a whole in Le Sentier (the chief Parisian neighborhood in which the men do business) suffers from a massive economic downturn, thanks in no small part to escalating labor costs and the flourishing of Internet start-ups; in desperation, Yvan and Eddie turn to EuroDiscount, a massive chain of European department stores, with a feeble attempt to sell their merchandise to that outfit. They fail to count, however, on the ugly reaction of the cunning manager, Vierhouten (Daniel Prevost), which threatens to send them spiraling toward bankruptcy. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Anconina, José Garcia, (more)
In this French box-office smash, director Thomas Gilou once again trains his sights on working-class immigrants living in metropolitan Paris, as he did with Black Mic-Mac. This time the subjects are the Sephardic Jews working in the garment district of Sentier. Eddie Vuibert (Richard Anconina) is an unemployed man who gets a job working in the stock room of a wholesale fabric dealer because the owner, Victor Benzakem (Richard Bohringer), believes that Eddie is Jewish, just like him. The opportunistic Eddie owes his job to this mistaken identity, and he does his best to preserve it, comically navigating the dangerous waters of learning strange customs and behavior. Eddie is promoted to a salesman and tries to romance Victor's daughter Sandra (Amira Casar), but she is involved with another fabric dealer, a corrupt man. Eddie must prove himself worthy on his own terms. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Anconina, Amira Casar, (more)
- 1995
The troubled lives of youths living in the grim housing projects of Paris provide the basis of this gritty, topical French drama with comedic overtones that tells the tale of two disparate Arabic brothers. Djamel is the good brother and Nordine is the bad one. Both young men still live at home, in a high-rise housing project, with their mother, who still wears traditional garb. Nordine is a drug addict and is first seen holding a horse hostage so he can get the money he needs to pay off his pusher. Djamel is seen working hard and dreaming of marrying Sahlia, a beautiful girl with an overprotective brother, Mezz, with whom Djamel is good friends. These two and their friends try hard to keep away from trouble. Sahlia, on the other hand, is tired of living like a traditionally submissive Arab girl and defies both Djamel and Mezz by sleeping with one of their friends. Meanwhile, Nordine shoots his handgun from the roof of an apartment block and starts a riot. The film's title refers a genre of North African rock music that is popular in the projects. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tabatha Cash, Samy Naceri, (more)
- 1994
The lives and dreams of young Arabs living in housing projects outside Paris are chronicled in this sympathetic French drama. The film is set in Gousainville, a Paris suburb during the five days of the Islamic holiday Abd El Kebir. The story is narrated by Slimane, the offspring of Algerian immigrants. Life in Gousainville is dull and like most teens, Slimane longs to escape and find excitement. He is also feeling repressed by his parent's traditional Muslim ways, and by the lack of economic opportunity in the town. His brother Samy is already a heroin addict and petty thief. Slimane dates the lovely Nacera on the sly. She wants him to marry her. During the five days of the religious holiday Slimane's world changes forever. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jalil Naciri, Farid Abdedou, (more)
- 1986
This is a charming and successful farce from director Thomas Gilou, featuring a witty screenplay co-authored by producer Monique Annaud. When a group of African squatters in Paris are threatened with eviction, they find themselves fighting against a bureaucracy that few French citizens understand, let alone immigrants. In desperation, they turn to their best option to resolve this dilemma: they call for a sorcerer from home. The sorcerer hops on a jet to Paris to cast spells on the entrenched bureaucrat, and while en route he strikes up a conversation with a fellow passenger, mentioning his job pays quite well. The interested passenger could stand to make a few extra francs, so he decides to take the sorcerer's place. Once he arrives, this imposter has to act like he knows what he is doing, and at the same time, he had better solve the eviction problem. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jacques Villeret, Isaach de Bankolé, (more)
