Monsieur Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Koran
Time Out says
After the anguished psycho-drama of his previous feature The Officers' Ward (about disfigured WWI officers locked away in a provinical hospital), Dupeyron is in altogether more relaxed and cheerful groove here. Set in the early 1960s, this is an upbeat coming of age story about a Jewish kid from an unhappy home who is taken under the wing of a sagacious old Arab shopkeeper. The director opts for eye popping primary colours, throws in an abundance of Parisian stereotypes (notably, the kind-hearted, gaudily dressed tarts, all of whom seem to be on leave from Irma la Douce) and uses foot-tapping '60s pop music wherever he can. He's helped by a hammy but immensely charming performance from Sharif as the twinkle-eyed old-timer, and by a very likeable one from Boulanger as the Antoine Doinel-type teenager. Though the film makes a few points about religious and racial tolerance, it seldom falls into sermonising. (From a novel by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt.
Details
Release details
Duration:
95 mins
Cast and crew
Director:
François Dupeyron
Screenwriter:
François Dupeyron, Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt
Cast:
Omar Sharif
Pierre Boulanger
Gilbert Melki
Isabelle Renauld
Lola Naymark
Anne Suarez
Mata Gabin
Céline Samie
Isabelle Adjani
Pierre Boulanger
Gilbert Melki
Isabelle Renauld
Lola Naymark
Anne Suarez
Mata Gabin
Céline Samie
Isabelle Adjani