Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageLa Squale (2000)
Director: Fabrice Genestal
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Opening to a gang rape and branding (in the name of Suleiman, a legendary gang leader gone AWOL), this sets out its stall straight off. Cousin to La Haine, but exchanging Kassovitz's hyperactive camera for a more studied framing against which the endemic violence of French immigrant ghetto life beats like harsh weather, the film boasts an undeniable street-level authenticity. The squale, or rebellious adolescent, of the title is Desirée, a wired and angry new kid on the block who, not knowing her father's identity, claims she's the absent Suleiman's daughter. Soon she's heading up the neighbourhood girl gang while bedding down with genetically unreliable and vicious local hood Toussaint. Add familial breakdown to the mix and the main goal is trying to stay human amid such alienation and despair. Efficiently paced with sudden sharp jolts of real aggression, it's no joyride but, seeded with small daily hopes, the film finds a truthful balance in refusing to let environmental frustration entirely smother the delayed aspirations of Desirée and her like for a simple stability.Author: GE
Cast & crew
Director: Fabrice Genestal
Producer: Pierre Forette, Thierry Wong
Cast: Esse Lawson, Tony Mpoudja, Khereddine Ennasri, Stéphanie Jaubert, Denis Lavant, Foued Nassah, François Delaive full cast
Duration: 99 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Time Out's 101 Films of the Decade
Ten years, thousands of movies and millions of dollars in international box office, and it all boils down to this
Martin Provost discusses 'Séraphine'
Trevor Johnston talks to the director of 'Séraphine' about bringing a little known French painter back to life
Our verdict on Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones
Peter Jackson ends a triumphant decade with a sentimental misfire with this lush Alice Sebold adaptation
On the set of Ken Loach's 'Route Irish'
Dave Calhoun meets Ken Loach on the set of his forthcoming Iraq war movie
Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'
Stephen Poliakoff’s ‘Glorious 39’ is his first film for cinema since ‘Food of Love’ in 1997. Dave Calhoun met him
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'
We talk to Steven Soderbergh about his two forthcoming films: one featuring a porn star, the other a chubby Matt Damon
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations
What do you think?
Post your review now