Peur de rien

For her first film outside Lebanon, Danielle Arbid chose to go to France with her camera. In the guise of a falsely autobiographical movie (the director has been living in France since she was 17), "Parisienne" speaks about the unique freedom that someone can feel when arriving at a foreign country. Nonetheless, the film shows as well the inherent trouble in integrating a new culture. Lina has to forget the codes she knows to learn and to give way to those of a city like Paris. The emotions displayed by the film are remarkably authentic: at the whim of the encounters, Lina will go from fear to curiosity, from disappointment to love, from loneliness to joy. She will learn to go beyond her fears and she will discover that we can dare, assert herself and say no but also give up and go with the flow. She will learn to love France while the spectator takes delight in discovering the Paris from twenty five years ago. Manal Issa's performance and the rest of secondary characters that surround her make the movie sensitive, moving and highly realistic. Full review on our blog Los Indiscretos : https://losindiscretos.org/english/parisienne-2015-danielle-arbid/

We meet the beautiful Lina, a smart, strong, and tough Libanese 19-year-old girl played by a terrific and impressive actress Manal Issa in her first role play, on her worthwhile journey in Paris during the 90's. She is stunning, and radiates more than just physical beauty. There's strength and spirit evident each time the camera lights on her face. All the supporting characters are stellar also. From the passionate professors Mrs. Gagnebin and Mr. Lemernier (veteran actors Dominique Blanc and Alain Libolt) to her different lovers played by Paul Hamy, Damien Chapelle and Vincent Lacoste. This ambitions coming of age story is a remarkable achievement and a wholly thought provoking and compelling film. A film that strikes you right in the heart.

Lots of good can be said about this movie. If it doesn't avoid every cliché, the story of that young libanese woman is well filmed, the acting is good and 90's Paris is well re-created. The quality is enough to let pass some story issues (like the royalist woman that disappears once she fulfilled her role: supplying an appartment, or worse the justification she's giving for the risk ran after the police control scene).

No, with all that taken in account, this gives a nice movie, at least worthy of a 7. However something's missing and outside recreating Paris atmosphere of the 90's and following the lead character, the movie driving force diminishes after the first half. Plus - and one of the final scene, with the East-European woman tells exactly that - her situation, as difficult as it is, stays under a level many migrants meet and some of the debates can be perceived as a bit overtaken by reality.

Who wouldn't want to spend two hours looking at Manil Issa? That's also the problem with this film – she's so beautiful that you're never surprised that she survives all the difficulties she encounters as an immigrant in Paris. You can't help thinking that if she were a man, if she didn't have those looks, if she wasn't so accommodating to all the people she meets, the outcomes would have been very different.

Nevertheless this is an enjoyable film. I particularly liked the portrayal of Paris life and all the different type of people and groups who co-exist there. It was also refreshing to see the snippets of the lectures in the university and realise that there is still room for the intellectual life and that the director wasn't afraid to portray this.

A film that I couldn't help liking but it could have done with a greater sense of jeopardy throughout and a more considered ending.