Exils (2004)
Directed by Tony Gatlif

Film Review

Exils is a peculiar kind of road-movie which explores two apparently contradictory themes - the need for individual freedom and the need to belong somewhere, two of the most basic human instincts.  It is the thirteenth full-length film from Tony Gatlif, a director whose very distinctive brand of cinema - combining social drama with colourful portrayals of other cultures -  has earned him widespread critical acclaim.  Like the central characters in this film, the experience of making Exils allowed Gatlif to connect with his roots in Algeria, forty-three years after he left the country of his birth.  For his efforts, he was rewarded with the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004.

The star of this film is a familiar face to anyone who is up to date with French cinema - Romain Duris.  The actor had worked with Gatlif on two previous occasions - their most successful collaboration being Gadjo dilo (1997).  Although Duris has risen to great heights since that film, he is rarely better used than by Gatlif.  Something about the actor's vitality, authenticity and spontaneity allows him to fit perfectly into Gatlif's strangely liberated world of many cultures and few boundaries.   Here, Duris is partnered with Lubna Azabal, who, like her co-star, exudes sensuality and conviction in every shot, whilst also conveying the tragic sense of vulnerability of someone who is uncertain of her origins and place in the world.

Exils is far from being Gatlif's best work. It is unevenly paced, several sequences could benefit from some judicious trimming and some parts of the narrative feel more than a tad contrived - but it is still a very engaging, beautifully shot, and thought-provoking film.   At the heart of the story, there is a fundamental irony which Gatlif communicates brilliantly.  As they make their pilgrimage to the land of their fathers, Zano and Naïma look increasingly like fish swimming upstream, against a tide of migrants driven by necessity to make the reverse journey from East to West.

The need to survive and prosper ultimately overwhelms the need to have a concrete identity.   To a greater or lesser extent, we are all nomads, driven - mainly by economic factors - away from our origins.  It's a trend that can only continue.   This homogenisation of humanity may have its advantages (bringing greater racial and cultural tolerance), but the downside is that individuals increasingly lose sight of who they are and where they come from.   It's a depressing prospect, but we may all end up feeling like exiles.

Film Synopsis

On the spur of the moment, two young Parisians - Zano and his girlfriend Naïma - make up their mind to undertake a pilgrimage to Algeria, the land from which they both originated.  Their journey takes them though Spain, where they make friends and find work to earn enough money to get by.  When they finally reach Algiers, Zeno has one objective - to find the apartment which belonged to his grandfather...