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Class, cultural and sexual differences are explored in this romantic gay drama set in scorching, picturesque Tunisia. Tall, quiet Malik (Antonin Stahly), a 30-year-old Parisian architect, returns to his homeland after the death of his father. Hes greeted warmly by his over-bearing, petulant mother (Italian icon Claudia Cardinale) and is immediately confronted with her expectation that he stay and get married. This now strange world of his youth, his mothers pressure and his barely hidden homosexuality set off anxiety attacks in Malik, who finally finds relief when he meets the darkly handsome handyman, Balil (Salim Kechiouche, Full Speed.) They begin a tentative relationship, but Islamic mores, a still class conscience society, and the ever-presence of his mother threaten their burgeoning love. A forbidden love story as well as a character study of people lost in rapidly changing cultures, Le Fil is an engaging, insightful and undeniably sexy drama
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Sara (Claudia Cardinale), glamorous and wealthy, lives a colonial-style life in Tunisia. Her thirty-something architect son, Malik, returns from France to keep her company after the death of his father some months previously. Sara and Malik's aunts are expectantly hopeful that Malik will 'settle down' and marry. However, Malik only has eyes for Sara's 25-year-old handyman, Bilal (who is also French, but of Arabic descent). Malik's attraction to Bilal is evident from the outset - although Bilal (Salim Kechiouche) seems cowed by his status as Sara's servant, and shies away from Malik's attentions.
THE STRING (French/Arabic, with subtitles) is a generally well-crafted drama. The cast is robust and competent - particularly notable are the majestic grace of screen-legend Claudia Cardinale as Sara, and the shy cap-doffing quality of Salim Kechiouche (Criminal Lovers, Le Clan) as Bilal. Further, the tropical Tunisian setting opens itself to the exploration of the wealthy professional / unskilled handyman romance that perhaps invokes the Maurice-Scudder relationship of Maurice, although in a more contemporary mise-en-scene.
So - why not a higher rating? THE STRING's promise of 'cultural conflict' remains unfulfilled. Director Mehdi Ben Attia took the easy route of scripting all the primary characters as Western Europeans - effectively rendering the Tunisian setting redundant. Hence, THE SCRIPT avoids the anticipated potency of more diverse cultural oppositions to Malik and Bilal's budding relationship (the primary alternative perspective is limited to the scanty, muttered disgruntlement of Sara's Muslim maid); as a consequence, there is much less antagonism between Malik and Bilal than there might otherwise have been.
The mounting tension between Malik and Bilal is further weakened by a large number of busy, competing sub-plots - flashbacks to the death of Sara's husband, a lesbian couple's plan to use Malik as a surrogate father, and Malik's liaison with his male cousin. Finally, perhaps the most interesting quirk of the film - Malik's hallucinations that he is wrapped in string causing him to spin round in an attempt to untangle himself (hence the film's name) - feels more like a brusque bolt-on than an integral component. Such limitations tend to mellow THE STRING's potential impact, resulting in an unnecessarily bland and unchallenging piece.
These (perhaps unduly harsh) criticisms aside, it is easy to see why THE STRING will be a crowd-pleaser. Take a conventional Romeo and Juliet love-story, add a dominant matriarch; layer the resulting mixture on top of a sunny North African setting, and you have a recipe for solid, undemanding entertainment. Viewers primarily seeking a recognisable and comfortably-warm film will undoubtedly appreciate THE STRING.
THE STRING (French/Arabic, with subtitles) is a generally well-crafted drama. The cast is robust and competent - particularly notable are the majestic grace of screen-legend Claudia Cardinale as Sara, and the shy cap-doffing quality of Salim Kechiouche (Criminal Lovers, Le Clan) as Bilal. Further, the tropical Tunisian setting opens itself to the exploration of the wealthy professional / unskilled handyman romance that perhaps invokes the Maurice-Scudder relationship of Maurice, although in a more contemporary mise-en-scene.
So - why not a higher rating? THE STRING's promise of 'cultural conflict' remains unfulfilled. Director Mehdi Ben Attia took the easy route of scripting all the primary characters as Western Europeans - effectively rendering the Tunisian setting redundant. Hence, THE SCRIPT avoids the anticipated potency of more diverse cultural oppositions to Malik and Bilal's budding relationship (the primary alternative perspective is limited to the scanty, muttered disgruntlement of Sara's Muslim maid); as a consequence, there is much less antagonism between Malik and Bilal than there might otherwise have been.
The mounting tension between Malik and Bilal is further weakened by a large number of busy, competing sub-plots - flashbacks to the death of Sara's husband, a lesbian couple's plan to use Malik as a surrogate father, and Malik's liaison with his male cousin. Finally, perhaps the most interesting quirk of the film - Malik's hallucinations that he is wrapped in string causing him to spin round in an attempt to untangle himself (hence the film's name) - feels more like a brusque bolt-on than an integral component. Such limitations tend to mellow THE STRING's potential impact, resulting in an unnecessarily bland and unchallenging piece.
These (perhaps unduly harsh) criticisms aside, it is easy to see why THE STRING will be a crowd-pleaser. Take a conventional Romeo and Juliet love-story, add a dominant matriarch; layer the resulting mixture on top of a sunny North African setting, and you have a recipe for solid, undemanding entertainment. Viewers primarily seeking a recognisable and comfortably-warm film will undoubtedly appreciate THE STRING.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I loved this. The presence of Claudia Cardinale on the cast list assured me it would not be dross, and it wasn't (though she has come some way since The Leopard!). The protagonists are opposites who find they have more in common than they realise. Malik, Arabic-speaking but very much a European in style, returns to Tunisia and his family. There he find the houseboy is French-speaking but very much a Tunisian in style and inhibitions. Malik has the lordly attitudes of the colonists. His counterpart has the innate subservience of a servant. Piece by piece they come together. What I found interesting was the way pre-revolution Tunisia intruded into the film (made before 2011). Malik puts off an unwanted marriage by making a speech which sets out why he dislikes the then regime. Later the intrusive nature of the police is revealed when the lovers are caught by a badge-waver, himself also observed by a policeman. As time passes the development of the relationship is shown. It is a taut observation of the lifestyles of Tunisia. First class - well worth buying
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
A lovely entertaining film about taboos and truths beneath the urbane muslim veneer of do's and don'ts; featuring my friend Salim and the intrepid Claudia Cardinale. The story is most telling because it plays in a cultural and religious environment that generally favours male bonding because girls are usually out of reach, but which does not (at least religiously) allow for homosexual relationships.
The famous piece of string by which the hero of the film is attached to culture, filial duty, religion, mores etc. is shown in key moments of the film. He tries to untagle himself fro mthe tie that binds him and become what he already knows to be. The romance blossoming between the handiman cum gardener (Salim), who tries to give his leanings a form and the graduate from France (Antonin), who had the liberty of Western culture, is the main story that weaves through a panoply of other events involving friends and family members.
It's a film that feeds on the rich set tradition of Algerian and Moroccan vis-a-vis Western culture and homoerotic behaviour, and thus is well embedded in the French émigrés community.
I gave it 5 stars because I owe my friend Salim an extra star for trail-blazing a path through the taboos of his cultural inheritance on celluloid!
Please see also: Gay Travels in The Muslim World (Islam)
The famous piece of string by which the hero of the film is attached to culture, filial duty, religion, mores etc. is shown in key moments of the film. He tries to untagle himself fro mthe tie that binds him and become what he already knows to be. The romance blossoming between the handiman cum gardener (Salim), who tries to give his leanings a form and the graduate from France (Antonin), who had the liberty of Western culture, is the main story that weaves through a panoply of other events involving friends and family members.
It's a film that feeds on the rich set tradition of Algerian and Moroccan vis-a-vis Western culture and homoerotic behaviour, and thus is well embedded in the French émigrés community.
I gave it 5 stars because I owe my friend Salim an extra star for trail-blazing a path through the taboos of his cultural inheritance on celluloid!
Please see also: Gay Travels in The Muslim World (Islam)
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Brilliant film
Movie sat well with me to be honest. i personally love French cinema and this certainly did not disappoint. Read more
Published 2 months ago by blogoh
with strings attached
This is a quirky film which takes the mother's apron strings concept to a literal end. It has warm characters who you can recognise and understand. Read more
Published 3 months ago by alanbri
Satisfactory
Bit slow in the beginning - unless you know the synopsis beforehand. Storyline was averagely good. Most of the scenes were satisfactory, but the part when they got married was a... Read more
Published 9 months ago by september baby
BOARING......
NOT SO MUCH TO WRITE....I WAS SO BOARD..?WANTED TO PRESS THE STOP BOTTON IN THE MIDLLE OF THE MOVIE....NOTHING GOING ON.....
Published 9 months ago by EILON
See this with an open mind ...
In this gay-orientated love and social drama an ageing Italian film icon, Claudia Cardinale, plays the mother of a liberal, in Paris educated, Arab young man who has to learn to... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Elimer
'A Scorching Romance'? It says that on the cover.
The String (Le Fil) is a `gay drama'. It tells the story of thirty year old Malik, played by Antonin Stahly, when he returns to the Colonial home of his mother (Claudia Cardinale... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Tommy D
Touchy
A gay romance with hot good looking leads! The lack of sex scenes is bitter though!
Claudia is suberb as always!
Claudia is suberb as always!
Published 18 months ago by Minerboh
not perfect but still recommended ...
For me this film does have some flaws ... but it at least tries to offer a fresh take on the gay romance genre and also has good acting & production qualities (something which many... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Happy Ending Seeker
CULTURE, MORALS AND PASSIONS CLASH IN FRENCH FEATURE
An interesting and unusual film starring Italian cinema icon Claudia Cardinale. I was pleasantly surprised to discover a movie full of brooding emotions, forbidden liasons and... Read more
Published 19 months ago by ROMAN
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