Monsieur Ibrahim (2003)
"Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran" (original title)

In Paris, a Turkish shop owner befriends a Jewish boy in his mid-teens.

Director:

François Dupeyron

Writers:

François Dupeyron, Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt (novel),

Stars:

Omar Sharif, Pierre Boulanger, Gilbert Melki

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 5 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Omar Sharif	...	Monsieur Ibrahim Deneji
Pierre Boulanger	...	Moses 'Momo' Schmitt
Gilbert Melki	...	Le père de 'Momo'
Isabelle Renauld	...	La mère de 'Momo'
Lola Naymark	...	Myriam
Anne Suarez	...	Sylvie
Mata Gabin	...	Fatou
Céline Samie	...	Eva
Isabelle Adjani	...	La star
Guillaume Gallienne	...	Le vendeur voiture
Guillaume Rannou	...	Le realisateur
Manuel Le Lièvre	...	Le moniteur auto-école (as Manuel Lelièvre)
Daniel Znyk	...	Le gendarme
Françoise Armelle	...	La maitresse d'école
Sylvie Herbert	...	L'eximinateur

Storyline

In a street called Blue in a very poor neighborhood in Paris, Monsieur Ibrahim is an old Muslim Turkish owner of a small market. He becomes friend of the teenager Jewish Moises, tenderly nicknamed Momo, who lives with his father in a small apartment on the other side of the street. Monsieur Ibrahim gives paternal love and teaches the knowledge of the Qur'an to the boy, receiving in return love and respect.

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Plot Keywords:

turkish | love | jewish | boy | muslim | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [de] Official site [it]

Country:

France

Language:

French Turkish

Release Date:

17 September 2003 (France)

Also Known As:

Monsieur Ibrahim

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$65,696 (USA) (13 February 2004)

Gross:

$2,823,837 (USA) (30 July 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

ARP Sélection, France 3 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min 94 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital EX

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Momo: [reading Ibrahim's will] This is my will and testament. I, Ibrahim Demirdji, hereby leave all my goods to Moses Schmitt, my son Momo because he chose me as his father and because I've given him everything I've learned in this life. Now you too will know what's in my Koran, Momo. It's all there is to know.

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Connections

Featured in The 61st Annual Golden Globe Awards (2004)

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Soundtracks

"La Bamba"
Adapted and Performed by Ritchie Valens from a traditional Mexican folk song

User Reviews

Great inspirational film!!

This film is a wonderful example of how one can choose to be a victim or a hero in life! The abrupt start to the movie lets one see the boy's situation immediately. Using the grocery money given to him by his father, he goes searching for his first sexual experience among the prostitutes he observes from the window of his apartment. He is unsupervised, self-sufficient, curious and in desperate need of guidance. The shopkeeper who has been in this boy's life longer than the boy realizes, steps in to be the uplifting and guiding force for him. Initially, I felt a little troubled by the use of the two religions and putting one in a less-kind light. However, I realized that the viewpoint had nothing to do with the religion, rather with the person and how they chose to deal with their life. I will recommend this movie to many people!