Room to Rent (2000)

Ali is a young Egyptian screenwriter determined to succeed in London, where he has been a student. He loves the artistic and political freedom, the colours, the music, the individualism. ... See full summary »

Director:

Khalid Al-Haggar

Writers:

Khalid Al-Haggar, Amanda McKenzie Stuart

Stars:

Flaminia Cinque, Saïd Taghmaoui, Karim Belkhadra

6 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Flaminia Cinque	...	Margreta
Saïd Taghmaoui	...	Ali
Karim Belkhadra	...	Ahmed
Maureen O'Farrell	...	Belly Dancer
Rupert Graves	...	Mark
Clémentine Célarié	...	Vivienne
Nayef Rashed	...	Naief
Badia Obaid	...	Ali's Mother
Nahar Ramadan	...	Ali's Sister
Adam El Hagar	...	Ali's Brother
Sahar Gadel-Kareem	...	Ali's Younger Sister
Louis Hammond	...	Pedro
Anna Massey	...	Sarah Stevenson
Shobu Kapoor	...	Home Office Official
Chris Langham	...	Mr. Paul

Storyline

Ali is a young Egyptian screenwriter determined to succeed in London, where he has been a student. He loves the artistic and political freedom, the colours, the music, the individualism. But he has little money, his student visa is about to expire and he has been thrown out of his lodgings. And so Ali moves in with a succession of eccentric and colourful London flatmates: Mark, a photographer with a very individual style, Linda, a young, blonde, very sexy model and Marilyn Monroe impersonator, and Miss Stevenson who is convinced that Ali is the reincarnation of her long dead Egyptian lover. All the while Ali is in search of an elusive British visa which unexpectantly leads to finding the love of his life.

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Plot Keywords:

reincarnation | green card | london england | illegal immigrant | belly dancer | 

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Taglines:

Ali wants to be loved, inspired - and to belong. But first he needs a... [Room To Rent]

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Official Sites:

Civilian Content (The Film Consortium) [uk]

Country:

France UK

Language:

English Arabic French Spanish

Release Date:

22 June 2001 (UK)

Also Known As:

Chambre à louer

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arts Council of England, Canal+, Film Consortium, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

A boom mic falls into the shot in a scene near the end, when Ali and Sarah are sitting on the bed together.

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Connections

References Pulp Fiction (1994)

User Reviews

Interesting enough

Revolving around aspiring writer Ali's tribulations In a new & unfamiliar setting told from an outsiders perspective. The title, presumably In reference to his numerous different lodgings Is Initially a central plot line, as It progresses the focus turns to finding a Visa bride. Coinciding with the sympathy humour of Ali's beginnings being replaced by adding depth to his plight. Shame as for the first hour there are many funny moments - ie the "inspiration" for his stories.

London under the night lights looks great also rightly portraying a sprawling city that can be Incredibly lonely. The main character(the lippy arab guy from La Haine) Is very good both confident & hapless, Juliete Lewis' In character Munroe Impersonation again good although under-used. The supernatural stuff at the end feels a little out of place but at least has some reasoning behind it so forgivable. Overall a likable film just about judging the balance between light & serious, odd enough to keep you watching. Most Importantly a brit comedy drama that doesn't try too hard - stupid gimmicks, rubbish stereotypes, disgusting overacting etc.