Exiles (2004)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Good concept, poorly executed.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

at first i thought that it was not a good idea to see this film.And after watching it at a film festival in Ankara.I agreed that it's not a bad movie but has some good moments. But i can even cannot understand how Gatlif could achieve best director award at Cannes with this one? because there is no such points that directing shines in this one.But acting is just fine and using the music is the key for the film.this film is not for every moviegoer,however it speaks about north Africa-french connection.and especially the people have great grip to life with music and traveling,finding their real path.but in fact the movie lacks of some special elements for being a perfect one tells the story of exiles i think.when the credits are shown you think that is it enough?where is the plot anyway.i can say no more about this one.i say you that you can go and consider that it touches your feelings for yourself.

I watched this film on French TV recently, and I was pleasantly surprised. I'll admit the main reason I watched this was Romain Duris, who I was so impressed with in De battre mon coeur s'est arrêté. This is actually a really good movie, the music especially really fits well with the scenarios, which is what one would expect from a film by Tony Gatlif. The direction is good and the story is told at quite a pace, so you won't get bored.I watched this without subtitles but that didn't cause me a problem at all. Some parts are really funny (i.e. Zano trying to talk Spanish) and others really sad (Zano crying). I'd certainly recommend watching it especially if you fancy something different from the hum-drum American-ised film style. I really enjoyed seeing this, as it isn't entirely dependant on language, but instead has scenes where the emphasis is on movement, vocalisation and music.After I watched this I found I kept thinking about it - always the mark of a film that connects with you in some shape or form. However, I warn you, this film may give you the urge to go road-tripping to Algeria. 8/10

If you have the ability to get a story from great images and great music, you might adore this movie as much as I do. If you like traveling, this is a journey into the Arabian world, and also towards the inner soul.The plot and story are not on the surface, but there's enough, if you are able to take it... Maybe it helps if you're not too much part of the individualistic, and sometimes very empty and flat western society these French Algerians are getting away form, to find their roots... An auditive and visual pleasure, a sexy and messed up trip to who they are, and were they wanna be... And it's a great pleasure to get there with them!

A young couple, Zano (boy) and Naima (girl), of Algerian origin return to Algeria to get a sense of their ancestry and family history. It's an incompletely told story, as bumpy and random as the trip it describes. I can't say whether that was deliberate.SPOILERS FROM HERE ON: From the lingering opening shot of Zano's thoracic back region, accompanied by a headbanging, shouted, angst-ridden soundtrack vocalised by someone I could only imagine had not washed in a month and was recording this while angrily waving a picket sign in front of a government office, I found it full of forced significance/symbolism and gratuitous, pretentious art shots, as well as containing clichéd lines, soap-operatic plot twists, and overused, unconvincing acting devices reminiscent of "Closer". It's the sort of movie ... er ... FILM you're supposed to go out afterwards and discuss seriously over cappuccinos, using sophisticated words like "persiflage", "paradigm", and "transcendent", so everyone knows what a deep thinker you are.For starters, I found it difficult to like either one of the couple. I'm not even sure the viewer is intended to like them. I think Zano was meant to be brooding and profound and Naima wildly sensual; however, to me they came off as sulky and slutty/borderline insane, respectively, and both far too self-absorbed to care about.Zano's beard was neatly trimmed throughout their rough, dirty, and water-deprived adventure, and their wardrobe and bedding were far more voluminous than the single bag he had slung over his back could ever realistically hold, not to mention that their clothes were always clean and pressed. Naima got away with far more than she really would, wardrobewise, in a country where women are expected to be covered from head to toe.I couldn't help but be amazed at the privacy they enjoyed for their tryst in the orchard. Who knew that orchards, in the middle of a working day during picking season under the watchful eyes of a critical supervisor, were so private? Earn $$ while you date, away from prying eyes; free food included. I'll be washing my fruit more carefully from now on.The cinematography is amazing, although its subject matter is often depressingly squalid.Barring the opening number, the soundtrack was mostly excellent if you like raw World/fusion music (I do) and both story and characters became more compelling and likable toward the end, after they arrive in Algeria.The climax scene, depending on your taste, either goes on for far too long or represents a truly interesting, in-depth example of Zar, a North African version of exorcising personal demons via a major, rhythmic, music-assisted, full-body, trance-inducing tantrum. I didn't time it personally, but read somewhere that it goes on for some 10 minutes and that sounds about right. I found the community support for the dancers incredibly moving and just sat there thinking "I could use me some of that." Actually, I think a lot of people could. This scene, along with Zano's earlier visit to his parents' former home and the reception he encountered there, were the only scenes in Exils that truly touched me.It struck me that Naima's nuttiness through most of the film seemed to be an unconscious attempt to enact a Zar ceremony. She certainly seemed a lot saner, cleaner somehow, after the Zar, as did Zano.I think Zar is maybe what raves try to be.