La Petite Jérusalem

Showing at Grand Illusion, Fri., May 12– Thurs., May 18. Not rated. 96 minutes.

A A A Comments By Kellie Hwang Wednesday, May 10 2006

Kino International

Valette balances faith and flesh.

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A sad and gloomy French film probably doesn't sound like anything new. But this provocative debut from writer-director Karin Albou is nothing short of extraordinary. Superficially, it's about the strictures of religion and the desire of its 18-year-old protagonist, Laura (Fanny Valette), to escape its confines. Then you realize the story is much more complex than that. Smart but somewhat uptight, Laura lives with her extended family in a Jewish suburb of Paris. There she struggles between their rigid Orthodox beliefs and her study of Kantian philosophy, hardly able to figure out who she really is.

Although Laura is suffocating within her family, the film sympathetically shows how each member of her clan faces a similar challenge. It would be too easy to blame Laura's kin, but their flaws are entirely human, and therefore relatable. It's like your typical dysfunctional sitcom family cast in a painfully serious light. Albou's directing of each individual's character development is done superbly. (She also colors these domestic scenes a dull blue, accenting the sullen lives of a bleak suburb.)

Ultimately, the story is about love and passion—Laura finds a Muslim boyfriend, leading to inevitable conflict, while her older and more religious married sister deals with her own problematic sex life. Incrementally, each character decreases the hold of religion, philosophy, or old-country ways. Albou is too much the humanist to paint a pretty picture out of this process; her characters are flawed, real, and refreshing. Even if the general mood is rather depressing, Valette leaves you with an optimistic glow. She's got the innocent beauty of Audrey Tautou and the screen presence of Sophie Marceau.

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