In Tony Gatlif's distinctive film 'Exils', we meet a young French couple: he is ethnically French, she is Arab, but both had Algerian ancestors, and the movie follows them after they spontaneously decide to abandon Paris and investigate their roots. The couple are presented in the film as very sensual, and the music and images that surround (and define) them are shared also by the viewer. The film touches on some interesting ideas, notably the not always chosen trade-off between freedom and belonging, and ends with a remarkable extended sequence depicting an Arab ritual of personal abandonment that bears comparison to (and is in fact more disturbing than) anything from 'The Exorcist'. What it doesn't have is much of a conventional plot beyond the collage of sights and sounds; and the characters, though strongly-drawn, do not evolve dramatically over the course of the movie. It's still a striking piece of work; but fiction is being used here, rather than serving as an end in itself.

May contain spoilers. EXILS Two people searching for their roots? Thats what I expected, and instead it appears more to resemble a road movie.Interesting though, as the somehow insane story progresses, and what fascinated me about it: The two main Characters of Zano and Naima find their INNER roots: through the people they meet, their ways, looks, music and rhythms, in a way that differs from their expectations, as it differs from that of the spectator. Zano, the Frenchman is the one to suggest this trip to Algeria. Born in Algeria of french parents who remained very french all their lives -to judge by the photographs Zano is shown of them- feels more and more french the farther he gets from that country. Naima on the contrary, the "real" Algerian? possibly with Gypsy roots, laughing at first at the idea of going to Algeria and resisting all the growing evidence of her non-french roots, is eventually penetrated to the core in the trance ritual.This sequence may be long but is somehow so genuine, that instead of boring the spectator , draws him in with a similar force that conquers Naima.One of the most genuine culture presentations seen in a Movie, revealing and exciting and maybe a contribution to inter cultural understanding and acceptance.

I saw this film at the Chicago International Film Festival, and I must say that I enjoyed it. I was really skeptical because I had thought that all French movies were just stupid sex-filled movies. Sure, this film has its share of nudity, but it doesn't distract from the story. You know nothing about these characters once the film starts except that they like to eat and drink naked in an apartment. For the next 1.5 hours you get to know little snippets from the past of their lives and hope to know more about what they want and what they need. On the path to Algeria, they evolve more as friends and as people to the audience, and not just as techno-music-blaring punks. By the climax of the film, the true characters come out of their young shells. They deal with their past in emotional ways (I won't spoil it) and leave the audience with a sense of accomplishment as the credits roll.I do have complaints that stem from the way it was presented. First of all, the subtitles in the version I saw were inconsistent, meaning that sometimes people would speak and I would see no subtitles. Otherwise, this is a great movie that I highly recommend.movie 9.7/10 presentation 8.7/10

Beautifully-filmed road movie with long musical sequences. The tale of two losers that hit the road to reach Algeria from Paris is peppered with vibrant musical interludes that echo their journey back to their roots, from nose-bleed techno, through passionate flamenco to raw Algerian trance. Once they get there, Gatlif loses his hand a little by not concluding the story. Naima is portrayed as a loose cannon throughout the movie, with hints to her past and a huge question mark over her future. Neither of these is I think is answered conclusively. On a sidenote, is this not one of the most explosive women on screen since "Betty Blue"?But a pretty entertaining tale very well played by the two lead actors, Lubna Azabal and Romain Duris.