I want to be careful about how much I say about the plot of the film because I don't want to ruin its unexpected pleasures for the rest of you. Though pleasure may not be the right word given that it follows a 19 year old arab in France who's about to begin a six year prison sentence. Soon after he's interred a corsican gang tells him he has to kill another inmate or they'll kill him. That's as much detail as I'm willing to give, but the way the film deals with how he makes his decision and the consequences of his actions is exquisite. It has elements of Goodfellas, the Godfather, the Sopranos, and The Wire interspersed throughout. Not in a way that feels like a blatant rip, but in a manner that captures the depth of character, detailed plotting, and intensity that those prior films/shows embodied. Also, as I mentioned earlier, the film was great at delivering unexpected twists and turns (not twists as in The Usual Suspects, but twists in the sense that it didn't follow the conventional beats of the genre) that I legitimately didn't know what was going to happen next (sort of the opposite of when I saw Percy Jackson). The one part of the film that may turn you off are several sequences that take on a dream like quality similar to Requiem for Dream. I kind of dug them but I could see how it would annoy somebody.
I guess what I would say if you're a fan of well executed drama (that happens to have sub-titles, just like my hello kitty binder) check out A Prophet.
Okay two films in a row that I liked, I have to see something that sucks to get my equilibrium back. What's your mom up to this weekend? Hey-Oh!!!!
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