agmtw logo
search

Divines (2016)

Divines (2016)

The Very Best

9.0

Half female buddy movie, half French gangster thriller

Movie

France, Qatar
French
Drama
2016

What it's about

In a ghetto where religion and drug trafficking rub shoulders, Dounia has a lust for power and success. Supported by Maimouna, her best friend, she decides to follow in the footsteps of Rebecca, a respected dealer. But her encounter with Djigui, a young, disturbingly sensual dancer, throws her off course.

The take

Winner of a Camera d'Or, the debutant's prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Director Houda Benyamina's first feature film is fast-paced and full of energy. Deep in the impoverished suburbs of Paris, the infamous banlieues, it tells the story of Dounia (played by Oulaya Amamra), a mouthy teenager who is not content with what society is prepared to hand out to her. She's angry; she wants more. And so, together with her best friend Maimouna (Déborah Lukumuena), she decides to finally make some cash as a runner for a drug dealer. While there's obviously some feminism in there somewhere, that's not at the heart of what this film is about. It's about the economic reality in a world of poverty and about two friends and their desire for freedom—no matter what the cost. An exhilarating and thought-provoking debut helped along by Amamra's amazing acting.

Comments

from 8 to 10/10

If you wanna be amazed by a bad-a** character (and actor!) in the title role, this is your movie. I felt so there with them as this story unfolded and cared about them alot!! Oulaya Amamra is literally someone who you both love and then don’t ever want to have her be upset with you! Such energy and emotion. I highly recommend this movie.

Your name

Your comment

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

Anora (2024)

An exciting and heartbreaking fairy tale with a modern, class-centric twist

9.0

My Old Ass (2024)

A pleasant mix of comedy and coming-of-age that may or may not leave you in tears

8.0

Laapataa Ladies (2024)

Two brides are accidentally swapped in this refreshing comedy of errors

8.9

He Loves Me… He Loves Me Not (2002)

A unique romantic comedy that takes dark and unexpected turns

7.3

All or Nothing (2002)

Mike Leigh goes all-in with this devastating drama

8.1

The Namesake (2006)

A moving, multi-generational journey of an Indian immigrant family finding their way in America

8.0

BPM

Passionate and pulsating French drama about a group of young AIDS activists in Paris in the early 90s.

8.9

Anatomy of a Fall (2023)

A haunting, magnificently performed courtroom drama that expertly builds an atmosphere of distrust

8.8

Things to Come (2016)

A beautiful, bittersweet portrait of resilience

8.5

Vagabond (1985)

In a series of flashbacks, this drama traces the final steps of a transient woman on her uncharted journey across the French countryside to her lonely end

7.9

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2024 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.