Mektoub, My Love Canto Uno 2017
Kechiche’s fifth feature – and the first in a possible trilogy – has been lambasted for its drawn-out running time (three hours) and slight narrative, as well as for the countless salacious shots of young female flesh with which he fills the gaps in the story. But there’s a vitality, a freshness to the film that’s almost impossible to resist.

Amin, an aspiring screenwriter living in Paris, returns home for the summer, to a fishing village in the South of France. It is a time of reconnecting with his family and his childhood friends. Together with his cousin Tony and his best friend Ophelie, he spends his time between the Tunisian restaurant run by his parents, the local bars and the beaches frequented by girls on holiday. Enchanted by the many female characters who surround him, Amin remains in awe of these summer sirens while his dionysiac cousin throws himself into their carnal delights with euphoria. Armed with his camera and guided by the bright simmer light of the Mediterranean coast, Amin pursues his philosophical quest while gathering inspiration for his screenplays. When it comes to love, only Mektoub (‘destiny' in Arabic) can decide.

Mektoub is a sprawling celebration of sex, sea and sun, of youthful summers in which days roll into one another and nothing much happens and the future seems to be endlessly deferred.

Director: Abdel Kechiche
Cast: Shain Boumedine, Ophelie Bau, Salim Kechiouche, Lou Luttiau, Alexia Chardard, Hafsia Herzi, Delinda Kechiche, Kamel Saadi, Hatika Karaoui, Meleinda Elasfour, Hamid Rahmi
Country: France, Italy
Genre: Comedy, Romance

BD50 | 1080i AVC | 02:53:37 | 46.3 Gb + 3% rec
Language: French
Subtitles: English, French