Reviews

This movie rekindled my faith in our local film society after two very lacklustre screenings. I was entranced from the very beginning by all aspects; excellent acting by all the main characters, depiction of local religious and traditional cultural beliefs and laws, a very realistic action scene, wonderful camerawork and photography particularly of the barren Tunisian country. The moral struggle by the father when faced with a desperate choice was striking. The portrayal of a most distasteful trade was confronting and it is to be hoped no longer happening. I was moved by this movie and it will stay with me for some time. This is the first Tunisian movie I have seen and the first directed by Marsa Barsoui, I look forward to more.

In spite of less than complimentary reviews I went to my local cinema with some modest expectations and after the first twenty minutes thought "well this is silly but it is entertaining and worth watching" - I was soon disabused of this notion. An impossibly convoluted storyline which twisted and turned interminably - the only thing that prevented me from leaving after sixty minutes was the fact that I was dry, warm and comfortable whilst outside it was cold and wet ! Between dozes the remaining 74 minutes became a series of unrelated scenarios. On the limited credit side was some ok acting by well know actors and interesting sets which were well photographed - much of both easy on the eye !

Ok, the first twenty minutes or so of this movie did not totally grab me but I was happy to sit there and see how it panned out and I'm glad that I did - a wonderfully made and acted movie with, I would admit, a few thin patches but the final 30 or so minutes were riveting. The acting by all the cast was remarkable but in particular Virginie Efira who I hope to see more of (yes, I know that she showed us her all in the nude sequence !). A quirky tragi-comedy enjoyable in every respect. How anyone could be totally negative about this movie is beyond me but of course each to their own.

Taking advantage of the mini French Film Festival at our local cinema (merci beaucoup !) I picked "Rise" with little enthusiasm but nothing else really appealed - I was hooked from the first ballet scene and I am not a huge dance aficionado. The doubly gifted Marion Barbeau is a pleasure to watch with her wonderful dancing and equally skilled acting. I know nothing of the technicalities of movie making but I thought this skilfully constructed with the storyline woven between some interesting contemporary dance - at times it was almost like watching a documentary about a modern dance troupe such was the natural 'acting' of the dancers. Brilliant from start to finish - another tour de force of French movie making !

I forgive whoever made this movie as I have enjoyed many wonderful French movies but this is definitely not one of those and I really cannot think of anything positive to say about it. Some people mention the ending but I couldn't comment as I had left long before it got there.

This movie will restore your faith in movie making, a most wonderful film that was even better second time around. Acting, photography, special effects, music - everything of the highest order. Would I see it for a third time ? Oh yes.