Well, I felt the first trauma at screen for "Wadja", then it reappears with "Baby Call", then "Daisy Diamond" and now with this movie. Thus, my panic button isn't bloody monsters, slashers or creatures but only a single mum with her kid. As i met this situation in real, maybe that's the explanation.As this movie shows, in such a family, the mother is so obsessed that even if she loves truly her kid, she doesn't see him also. At the end, due to his erratic mother, kid being kid, he is put in danger and it's very painful to share this moments.Here, it's indeed the case: Kate is in search of meaning, of truth and she thinks that the answer lies with Sufism. So it's a trip from England to Morocco with her two daughters and as money is the blood and fuel that makes the world spins, without any, life becomes difficult. In a way, it has the same flavors that Coelho's novel "the Alchimist", mixing desert, spirituality...At first, the movie is a bit annoying as nothing really happens. But, surely, the movie gains intensity as the family takes trips, meet friends and the magical exoticism of Morocco comes inside you: As i went there once, there's truly a wonderful light and you can see it shining here. But you'll notice also that this country has one of the most colored cultures in the world and that it's also a very inegalitarian one as the gap between poor and riches is huge.Still very young for this movie and a mother to be, Kate is however very maternal and really cares for her daughters: she never shouts at them even as they talk straight. But it's her daughters that steal the spotlight: they are funny, intelligent, and ready to grasp the world. The bond between her is great as they could pass for real sisters.At the end, it's not a surprise that this movie is dates from 1998: today, I don't think that a self-discovery journey of a western family into the Arabic world would be produced so that's another reason to not miss this one.

'Hideous Kinky' initially gives the impression of being a movie about a woman's adventurous and spiritual journey when it is actually about her journey to self-discovery. MacKinnon captures the landscape of Marrakech beautifully. The wild exotic culture looks authentic. The cinematography and music blend superbly with the overall mood of the film. The director makes the viewer feel like a silent observer and travelling companion of Julia and her children. I loved how her relationship with Bilal was portrayed as a beautiful friendship based on love, compassion, kindness and in the end, sacrifice. Kate Winslet does a phenomenal job once again. Said Taghmaoui does an equally convincing job but unfortunately, he still remains an underrated actor typecast in terrorist roles. It's a pity that Hollywood does not offer this actor much else to do. Child actors Bella Riza and Carrie Mullan deliver some of the better performances by child actors. 'Hideous Kinky' is an adventurous movie in the true sense of the genre. It's not an 'Indiana Jones' or 'Pirates of the Caribbean' type experience but rather something more layered, subtle and profound. Think of a kinky summer holiday about self examination somewhere exotic and less known.

Kate Winslet is a great actress and not bad looking to boot. BUt this movie well lacked a story. Winslet's character was very unsimpathetic and selfish. She was basically a bad mother who put her kids in a bad and unhealthy situation all because she wanted to find herself. AAhh the sixties, what a wonderful time! Did this movie have a purpose or a meaning. I sure didn't see it. It is a very big waste of video tape. Seems like Winslet is too good of a talent to be in these kind of pictures, then again, she signs up for them.This movie get a minus four. It sucked to bad to even get one star out of four.

"Hideous Kinky" is not a plot-driven movie but more of a meditation on time and place. And I can live with that. The photography is so rich with colors and beautiful locales, I want to visit Morrocco. The acting in splendid across the board with particular note to the two young girls who were handed quite a bit of duty with the roles. Where this movie failed me is in the character played by Kate Winslet. She behaves with such selfishness and stupidity--not once--but over and over again, that I really grew to dislike her. Sure...she may be a young, naive, adventurous, hippie in the early '70's, but a I refuse to believe she didn't realize what kind of danger she was putting her children in. "Hideous Kinky" is a good movie--not great. And it's good for one viewing, maybe two for the cinematography.