Class, cultural and sexual differences are explored in this torridly romantic drama co-starring an Italian superstar from the past: Claudia Cardinale. Set in arid Tunisia, tall, quiet Malik (Antonin Stahly), a 30-year-old Parisian architect, returns to his homeland after the death of his father. He's greeted warmly by his over-bearing, petulant mother (Cardinale) and is immediately confronted with her expectation that he stay and get married. This now strange world of his youth, his mother's pressure and his barely hidden homosexuality set off anxiety attacks in Malik, who finally finds relief when he meets the darkly handsome handyman, Balil (Salim Kechiouche, Full Speed, Grande école, 3 Dancing Slaves). They begin a tentative relationship, but Islamic mores, a still class conscience society, and the ever-presence of his mother threaten their young love. Le fil is a forbidden love story as well as a character study of people lost in rapidly changing cultures. Don’t miss this engaging, insightful and undeniably sexy drama.
