Samy is a twenty-something unemployed guy of Senegalese origins, living with his parents and three siblings in the horrid Parisian suburbs, specifically in department 93, the most notorious Parisian "banlieue".
Samy is in love with Nadia, who's much of a flirt (an "allumeuse", as they say in French) and to gain her love he claims he would do anything, such as climbing Mt. Everest. Because, you know... finding a job is too difficult ...
Nadia is not impressed, therefore Samy embarks in his undertaking with the sponsoring of the local radio and other firms. Even if Samy is an endearing enough guy (albeit naive to the point of stupidity) and Nadia is actually in love with him, the film fails to deliver its feel-good, romantic message because of his structure.
The first problem is an excess of symmetrical shooting. Placing a main character in the middle of the screen gives the movie an amateurish feeling. Unfortunately, the director just LOVES that type of shooting and he does it continuously.
Even worse is the zig-zaging between Samy's climbing the Himalaya and daily life in District 93. It's impossible to appreciate Samy experience, because the film keeps going back to the banlieue and the supporting cast of family and friends. Maybe that was done to underline the difficulty of living in 93 and how Samy turned into a local hero, but it certainly spoils Samy's undertaking
The film suffers a lot for being unable to choose between social commentary and adventure. Finally, it may also convey the - wrong - idea that climbing Everest is an easy task anybody can achieve with zero preparation. 306 people died during the climb and many others lost fingers and limbs due to unpredictable weather conditions.
Samy is in love with Nadia, who's much of a flirt (an "allumeuse", as they say in French) and to gain her love he claims he would do anything, such as climbing Mt. Everest. Because, you know... finding a job is too difficult ...
Nadia is not impressed, therefore Samy embarks in his undertaking with the sponsoring of the local radio and other firms. Even if Samy is an endearing enough guy (albeit naive to the point of stupidity) and Nadia is actually in love with him, the film fails to deliver its feel-good, romantic message because of his structure.
The first problem is an excess of symmetrical shooting. Placing a main character in the middle of the screen gives the movie an amateurish feeling. Unfortunately, the director just LOVES that type of shooting and he does it continuously.
Even worse is the zig-zaging between Samy's climbing the Himalaya and daily life in District 93. It's impossible to appreciate Samy experience, because the film keeps going back to the banlieue and the supporting cast of family and friends. Maybe that was done to underline the difficulty of living in 93 and how Samy turned into a local hero, but it certainly spoils Samy's undertaking
The film suffers a lot for being unable to choose between social commentary and adventure. Finally, it may also convey the - wrong - idea that climbing Everest is an easy task anybody can achieve with zero preparation. 306 people died during the climb and many others lost fingers and limbs due to unpredictable weather conditions.