Samia (2000)
Directed by Philippe Faucon

Film Review

In his fourth feature, well-regarded auteur filmmaker Philippe Faucon offers an eye-opening realist drama that shows, with startling vividness, the conflict which can arise been newly settled immigrants and their offspring.  The former seek the benefits of living in a new country but only in so far as it does not clash with their cultural traditions.  The latter see the move for what it really is: a chance to make a fresh start in a healthily open and liberated society.  With immigration being one of the most pressing concerns in present day France, Samia provides a timely study on the thorny issue of racial integration in modern society, a subject that Faucon would return to, in a more sobering context, with his later film, La Désintégration (2011).

Retaining the near-documentary style of his earlier films, L'Amour (1990) and Sabine (1992), Faucon approaches the problem of integration through the experiences of a rebellious teenage girl, Samia, who feels duty bound to follow the old family traditions but cannot resist the freedoms offered by western civilisation.  It is a situation which is no doubt familiar to most second and third generation immigrants and in his film Faucon tackles it with commendable tact and dispassionate honesty, revealing the canker within the immigrant population that inhibits progress towards a truly multicultural society.

Faucon's brand of social realism may not be as engaging as that of, say, Ken Loach or the Dardenne brothers, but it has a particular kind of raw-edged immediacy that draws us in and makes us intensely mindful of its underlying social messages.  By using non-professional actors, the film impresses as much with its biting naturalism as with its understated humanity.  With the central protagonist confined to her crowded home, almost like a prisoner, we are powerfully reminded of the psychological gulf that separates immigrants from their host country and how difficult it is to overcome racial segregation, even in our supposedly tolerant and enlightened times.

Film Synopsis

Samia is a 15-year-old girl who lives with her family of Algerian Muslims on the grubby outskirts of northern Marseille.  She is the sixth of eight children and is pressurised by her parents to adhere rigidly to their traditions and not be seduced by the sordid distractions of their adopted country.  Yacine, her elder brother, takes it upon himself to ensure that the entire family maintains its customs, but he fails to prevent his sister Amel from pursing an affair with a local boy from a completely different culture.  Torn between her desire to make the most of the opportunities afforded by modern western society and the obligation placed on her to remain true to her family traditions, Samia finds herself tracing a difficult path towards adulthood.  In the end, she decides that she must rebel and forge her own identity, letting no one else tell her how she must live her life...