The Wedding Song

During WWII, the lifelong friendship between two young women (one Muslim, one Jewish) in Tunisia is tested when the Nazis take over the country. This is a good-looking film with fine performances from Brochere and Boval as the two women, although the characters are not very well developed. While generally engaging, it fails to be compelling, particularly for those not invested in the cultures portrayed here. It also doesn't offer any new insights about the religious themes it explores. It is sensitively directed by Albou, who also plays the mother of one of the young women. There are some surprisingly frank scenes depicting the grooming of Brochere for her wedding night.

Like her earlier, excellent 'Le Petite Jerusalem', Karin Albou's story of two best teen girlfriends suffering through WWII in Tunis is rich with sensual textures; bodies, fabrics, a powerful sense of place. Albou is one of those directors who uses silence, a look shared, an extreme close up to communicate what most filmmakers rely on dialogue to say.

One girl is Jewish, the other Muslim. Both dream of happy marriages in societies and religious cultures that keep women as objects used by men, while both religious groups are used as puppets and victims used by the Nazi occupiers - if in very different ways.

A deceptively complex film, this story of friendship touches on war, religion, class politics, race, and sexual roles. If I found it a touch less successful than her last film, it may be because she was being so ambitious. But I'll take that kind of ambition in an artist anytime.

From the synopsis alone, The Wedding Song seems like a gut wrenching watch, that's what I thought at least. However Karin Albou has a good hand at crafting narratives without reverting to any cheap tropes to solely evoke emotion. Not that there isn't enough here to get all riled up about, it's just never done for the sake of sensationalism.

The story is laden with serious themes and undertones... race, religion, class, patriarchy, sexual rights - you name it and it's here. Yet the story is completely character driven, focusing wholly on the two girls and their struggles through the social and economical hardships which have been bestowed upon them.

Lizzie Brocheré and Olympe Borval steal every scene, their endearing friendship feels authentic and their suffering just makes you want to reach out a hand to help.

Although I didn't feel quite satisfied by the end credits, I was certainly engrossed in every scene and emersed in this story of far away and long ago.

Outstanding movie! Historical accurate - outstanding acting performances! Lizzie Brocheré succeeded in a convincing way, her efforts must have been tremendously exhausting but they bluntly payed off, the actress merits plenty of awards. Olympe Borval performs as the best actresses do. Simon Abkarian impersonates his character with a dept seldom seen on the screen. The script is well written, and one has the impression that it is well researched up to an academic level. Even if one does not like war movies he or she will be more then surprised about the films touch for human experiences and underlying anthropological - sociological study.

Film africain bien sympa. Encore les nazis qui font des dégats et des abus, mais pas de massacres ici. Une histoire de copines juive et musulmane qui dévoile beaucoup des coutumes.