Samia

Well, I found this movie really interesting. Don't watch it if you expect to see the magnificence of Marseille! The story is not far from reality. It shows how girls from north Africa struggle to get some freedom in their life; freedom that the parents didn't get as they grew up during the colonialism; freedom they didn't know how to define or spell as they didn't go to school. Anyway, I shared the same experience with those girls. Brought up in the land of freedom and lived as a bird in a cage. Life was a misery, and you are torn apart between the hunger for a slight freedom and the love for your family despite the psychological blackmail such as sending you back to Algeria if you dare to walk on the path beside the one dictated by your religion. See what the mother says to her daughter while she was living for the Uni. "Don't bring the shame on our family,... and we will be proud of you..." This movie shows how illegitimate the civil code is. Signed by the algerian government in the 80s', women became second rate citizens unable to go shopping without a permission or to argue.

This film is from France, but is not the usual French film. The main character is an adolescent girl in a strict Muslim family from Algeria living in Marseilles. She finds it impossible to reconcile the libertine, modern society of France with the confining religion of her family, but when she acts out (as teenagers will) she finds herself confronted with an abusive and cocky older brother. However, the film is not judgemental of the lifestyle and religion of these immigrants, and shows that they face institutionalized racism within their host-culture as well as dealing with the problems of girls and puberty within Islam. In the end, although not a "happy" film, one feels that it is a celebration of the personhood of a girl becoming a woman in a difficult time and place. The only disappointment is a lack of images of beautiful Marseilles, but as Samia is never allowed to go out, one can expect to see mostly her crowded apartment and immigrant living conditions.

This film gives a brief glimpse of yet another dysfunctional family, this one from Algeria and living with France. But although there's a great deal of sadness, it's hard to feel sorry for anyone -- not the abusive brother or the unloving father, not the mother who cares more for what the men think than what her daughters feel, and not even for the girls themselves, who seem to think "freedom" means dressing like tramps, sulking and mouthing off to everyone. If this is even a partially accurate look at the Muslim community in France, then it might rate a star or two for "documentary interest," but it goes absolutely nowhere and when it ends you wish you could have your 90 minutes back.

By the way, as someone else mentioned, the white subtitles are nearly unreadable.

"Samia" tells an old story about a teenager who rebels against her family values asserting her demands to be her own person. In the case of "Samia", the teen is an Algerian girl living with a traditional Muslim family in France. During this short film we get to see Samia sulking, fighting with her brother, sulking, hanging out with friends, sulking, going to the seashore, sulking, refusing to have her hymen examined and, yeah, more sulking. The film shows some traditional and presumably Algerian costuming, dancing, music, meals, etc. in this little indie sorely lacking in story and execution. Pass on Samia. (C-)

Note: The version I Tivo'd had white subtitles with no outline making it very difficult to read the white words on light backgrounds.