Movie No. 178 (2013): L'ESQUIVE

L'Esquive (a.k.a. Games of Love and Chance) (2003)
Director: Abdel Kechiche
Cast: Osman Elkharraz, Sara Forestier
In French, with English subtitles

Krimo is a high school toughie who's just been dumped by his girlfriend. Immediately, he develops a crush on his classmate, Lydia, who's into classics and drama. Funny thing, he also develops interest in classics and drama and volunteers to be the replace his classmate who's to play lead to Lydia's character. But Magali, the girl who has just dumped Krimo, doesn't like Krimo's closeness to Lydia. This conflict will lead to an interesting story involving them and all the other people around them, mostly their friends and kin. 

The best thing about the movie is the rawness of attack of all the first-time actors on their respective characters, especially Osman Elkharraz' Krimo and Sara Forestier's Lydia. The presence of practically all neophyte actors on the screen feels like watching a very interesting reality show. The screenplay succeeds in making the lives of these teenagers parallel or intersect the classic their class is having a stage production of. A minor downside, though, is the repetitious scenes that convey the same message. I suppose that's just the way it should be, after all such scenes involve takes on rehearsals. Typical teenager problems are presented a matter-of-fact. without the irritating melodrama. The theme is universal.

Rating: 3.5/4.0

Date seen: October 14, 2013