Shéhérazade (2018)

Shéhérazade (2018)

TV-MA

netflix

French City of God

The Very Best

8.6

Movie

France
French
Drama, Romance, Thriller
2018
JEAN-BERNARD MARLIN
Dylan Robert, Idir Azougli, Kader Benchoudar
106 min

What it's about

Zachary, 17 years old, gets out of jail. Rejected by his mother, he hangs out in the mean streets of Marseille. He falls in love with Shéhérazade, a young prostitute of whom he becomes the pimp without realizing it...

The take

A gritty and realistic thriller set in France’s notorious capital city of crime - Marseille. 

Zachary is released from Juvenile prison to learn that his mother has abandoned him. He finds kinship in an underage sex worker by the name of Shéhérazade. 

This seems like the set-up for a tough watch, but Shéhérazade plays like a romance when it’s slow, and a crime thriller when it’s fast (it’s mostly fast). Everything about the story and two leads’ relationship rings true. Added to the fact that it has no interest in emotionally manipulating you, the movie is more gripping and thought-provoking than sad.

A great story, fantastic acting from the cast of first-timers, and outstanding direction give the feeling that Shéhérazade is bound to become a modern classic. If you liked City of God, you will love this. 

Comments

R

Rob

Beautiful, gritty film showing a part of society a lot of people are still uncomfortable talking about but it’s told in a way that helps you understand and connect with the characters. The non-professional cast did amazing work. Highly recommend watch especially during this self imposed quarantine

I didn´t like the movie at all, it was kind of confusing and uncomfortable to watch with someone else.

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