Les Équilibristes

Very interesting film, not great but highly watchable, based on the post-prison life of supreme French author Jean Genet.

Michel Piccoli is Marcel Spadice, the Genet-like character, who uses his friend Hélène Lagache (Polly Walker) as 'bait' to attract men. "I like real men, not queens."

He is infatuated with Franz-Ali Aoussine, a mixed Arab and German youngster, who works at a circus and still lives with his mother on the outskirts of Paris. (Stunning performance by Doris Kunstman as Christa Paeffgen Aoussine )

Franz-Ali has a burning ambition to become a tightrope walker and Marcel starts training him. Soon their entire existence revolves around this...

There are twists and turns in ths tale and the dialogue has a distinct and sincere ring of Genet's lyrical prose. Not an all time great, but certainly worth watching