Le monde nous appartient

The film shows the parallel destinies of these two young men who look alike without knowing it. They share the same values and the same desire for the absolute. They could be friends. And yet ... "We've all been in our lives through a phase where we thought the world belonged to us. The very fact of becoming an adult means that you realize that this would be a little more complicated". (Stephan Streker, director) The film begins with the stab of a knife, and yes, we already know that the film will end with the same stabbing... The story tells us that ordinary lives could be as dangerous as extraordinary lives and, it may seem conflicting, that extraordinary lives could be as simple as ordinary lives at the same time. A movie, as the director says, that leaves the viewer intelligent and free and, I dare add, that will make you "think" in the strong sense of the word. A very good film that is worth to be seen!

This film tackles several interesting themes. Youth, firstly, and two young men embracing their youth besides their difficulties and the questions they ask themselves. The feature beautifully depicts these situations in scenes where the two main protagonists ponder on their future without any dialog. It avoids as well associating youth with innocence. The two protagonists, Punga and Julien, are young but have to make adult choices. The first to continue his illegal activities, and take over his father's role, and the second to embrace a professional soccer career. Secondly envy and desire come off also as major themes. Indeed both characters transpire envy - which is also typical of youth - and again through silent close-ups we understand that they want and desire many things. Success, money, love, etc...

This film portrays subtly the ties between the two life stories of the main protagonists. Actually these ties exist between other characters, and I thought it was illustrated quite well. It also alludes to how we face our fate or signs of our fate and how we view them. These elements are reflected by the superior acting, especially from Vincent Rottiers, as Pouga. It was interesting to watch how this latter embodies his character which seems to want what he can't have (Magali, his love interest, for example). I also liked Freddy, the father figure, interpreted by Olivier Gourmet, of the other protagonist Julien, which is desperately trying to have some kind of a dialog with his son.

Overall it's a movie worth the watch!