I am rarely moved to comment on movies but I think that this little gem has been overlooked. This is a poignant, even beautiful movie about growing up, poverty, life in seedy housing projects and, for me, most importantly loving, giving mixed ethnic communities that nurture and support everyone. It may be a little idealized but the point is well made. Anouk Grinberg is utterly captivating as the gamine adolescent, strong and vulnerable, playing her part with an intelligence that is rare and to be cherished. The cast, including the children, play their roles with spirit and are absolutely believable. I did not find the subtitles distracting (knowing a little French helped) and let the performances speak for themselves. A remarkable little movie that has spirit, is socially relevant, even today, and brilliantly filmed. I am so glad I didn't listen to the overly negative review that was prominent on IMDb and would urge everyone with a grain of compassion to watch this movie and be moved and uplifted.

the film isn't anything special, except a subplot, which I think is the best plot, contains the best scene and best quote ever in a film.IMDb didn't let me update the quotes for the politic motive.one of the subplots is : an old french retard played by Jean-Pierre Marielle adopts(kidnaps? buys?) several dozens of sub-sahara African boys , teaches them nothing but to try their best to screw as many white french girls as possible when they grow up....he forces them to promise him. and he says, they are(the black boys) the hope of France....because he worships African culture, an afrocentrist? he is annoyed and offended by french politics and corruption? he is just a misogynist??who knows..the dialogue is very graphic, very un-PC..I don't know mr blier 's political orientation but that moment is probably the most satirical or realistic moment in history of cinema..blier was a master of sex satire.. now he tried race related ones, he won again!from other aspects, this film is so-so.. but those a few minutes lift it from 5 to 7 viewed along long time ago, until today I decided to write something about it..

"Un, Deux, Trois, Soleil" is a ten year old French flick recently released on DVD probably to capitalize on the names of Bier or the late Mastroianni. However, the film, a dramady, which tells of the misadventures of a post pubescent school girl growing up in Marseille (played by 30 year old Grinberg) is neither sufficiently engaging nor funny to make it worth all the subtitle reading. Much of the humor is lost in translation and the film's warmth soon grows fallow as the weak slice-of-life plot grows increasingly insipid. Probably not worthwhile for anyone other than French speakers into French films who have seen all the more recent and much better stuff. (C)

In a warm town of Marseille, a teenager, clamped among a crazy mother and an alcoholic father, looks desperately for tenderness. On bottom of gloomy suburb, Bertrand Blier delivers, once more, an unclassifiable film and gladly provocative, who can leave you perplexed but not indifferent.