Hafsia Herzi ,thirteen years after "Française" has enjoyed a brilliant career ,notably in "un homme et son chien" ,Belmondo's swansong , "ma compagne de nuit " in which she matched seasoned E. Béart and the overlooked 'Jimmy Rivière",to name but three.
In "Française ",she 's cast as the determined young woman ,who comes up against the Moroccan traditions where the only way for a girl is marriage and children ;when she was a child ,her parents would live in France ,where she was a brilliant pupil -note the teacher's gaffe when she asks her pupils the country where Sofia comes from ; she unwittingly hurts the girls' feelings:she was born in France ,she's French,period .
Apart from Herzi ,the rest of the cast is not really convincing ,particularly the father and the boyfriend .
It's certainly an estimable work ,a hope for oppressed women , and for their future .But docked one star for the denouement ,which seems facile and botched : France (and I know what I'm talking about ) is not an Eldorado where you have to cross the street to find a job ; the director took the easy way out :to vainquish without peril,one triumphs without glory .
