Four brothers live in a downmarket housing project on the coast of Southern France.
The youngest is Nour (Mael Rouin Berrandou) aged 13, who constantly plays recordings of Pavarotti singing a role in La Traviata, to the annoyance of his brothers. He hopes that that it will bring some signs of life to his bedridden mother, who is in a coma (his Italian father sang arias from this opera to woo his mother).
Nour is engaged in some sort of community service, painting a corridor at his school when he is drawn to a girls singing class and encouraged by the teacher (Judith Chemia) to join – which causes a clash with the macho culture of his brothers.
The brothers don’t look alike but are convincing as actors. Mo (Sofian Khammes) is a lothario who works on his body to attract tourists, Hedi (Moncef Farfar) is a drug dealer, and Abel (Dali Benssalah) has appointed himself as the father figure.
They expect Nour to work to contribute to the family finances when he isn’t at school, and have little understanding of the talent that may change his life, should he choose to follow a singing career.
The screenplay was written and directed by Yohan Manca in his first feature film. The script came from a play by actor-writer Hedi Tillette de Clermont-Tonnerre. It was nominated for the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival.
The musical score, by award-winning French-Lebanese composer Bachar Mar-Khalife, adds much to this heart-warming story of family life, learning to find your own way to live and to make the most of it.
109 minutes.
French language with English sub-titles.
Showing at Somerville Nedlands from Friday 24th and Sunday 26thDecember at 8 pm.
Watch the trailer…
