Red Soil

Broadly this is a tale about Chemical companies dumping waste in the land and lying about it. Some people want to keep the lie as it protects their jobs despite the damage; others get shirty and want something-to-be-done-about-it

This is well-done here; kinda French Arab Silkwood ... OK that is dealt with

But really as a viewer I saw a masterclass in acculturation

Most of the actors here are French Arabs so wedged into France that there is nothing Arab left; apart from the ethnicity

As if you made a film in the US with Chinese American actors who only celebrate the 4th of July and Thanksgiving NEVER mentioning The Chinese New Year; talking about football scores and baseball whilst drinking Bud and banging about the right to bear arms ... 100% acculturation

Here in France it transcribes at a party where waltz is the dance of choice; the speech is 100% French only the sister speaks French with a slight Arab intonation on some words; all the main actors might be called Jean-Claude and Marie and you would be none the wiser. And yet ethnically 100% North African

So no Arab food no mention of Arab anything at any point. The language of Arabic is not used once not even a word ....

The filmmaker here wanted I guess to show full integration

Some might find this disquieting. A blend of cultures is a cool thing; blend of languages seen in many French-Arab films; references; mention of "the old country" etc etc maybe this is what happens with 4th and 5th gen folks; but it is unnerving ...

And then you see the relationship between the father and the daughter and THERE all the values of "the old country" are there he treats her like one treats a girl in the "the old country". He is the boss. She should listen. So like a fake rolex he is a French worker but the dynamics in the family are pure North African. So it kind of irks. Who are you? Where are you? No French father does this in 2021 ... not like that

Very odd ... not sure what to make of all this .... what it bodes for the future of that community ... one could argue it needs to fly two flags culturally not one semi-fake one

The film is average + a 6 or a 7.