Changing Times (2004)

Traveling from France to Tangiers, a man looks to reunite with his former love, though their romance ended some 30 years earlier.

Director:

André Téchiné

Writers:

André Téchiné (scenario), Laurent Guyot (scenario)

Stars:

Catherine Deneuve, Gérard Depardieu, Gilbert Melki

5 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Catherine Deneuve	...	Cécile
Gérard Depardieu	...	Antoine Lavau
Gilbert Melki	...	Natan
Malik Zidi	...	Sami
Lubna Azabal	...	Nadia / Aïcha
Tanya Lopert	...	Rachel Meyer
Nabila Baraka	...	Nabila
Idir Elomri	...	Saïd
Nadem Rachati	...	Bilal
Jabir Elomri	...	Saïd
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Christophe Freudiger	...	Joueur du casino
Hicham Ibrahimi	...	Réceptionniste
Bouchaïd Kidi	...	Le bijoutier
Stéphane Rouabah	...	Chauffeur d'Antoine

Storyline

Connections and personality: France and Morocco, sisters, mothers and sons, husbands and lovers. Antoine arranges a job in Tangiers so he can reconnect to Cécile, his first love, unseen for 30 years. Sami, her son, comes from Paris with his friend Nadia and her son to see his mother and his Moroccan boyfriend. Nadia wants to see Aïcha, her twin, a devout Muslim unwilling to see her pill-popping sister. Antoine harbors romantic fantasies; Cécile lives in the real world of an empty marriage to Natan, a Jewish doctor who's broke, drinks too much, and wants to move back to Casablanca. Cécile is a follower. Dogs and mud present dangers, as does complaisance. Will the earth move?

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Plot Keywords:

twin | marriage | morocco | first love | tangier morocco | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

Gemini Films / 1000 Films [France]

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

15 December 2004 (France)

Also Known As:

Changing Times

Filming Locations:

Ibn Batouta International Airport, Tangiers, Tangier-Tétouan, Morocco

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$31,702, 16 July 2006, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$539,380, 24 November 2006

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gemini Films, France 2 Cinéma, Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min (IFC library print)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

visa d'exploitation en France : #109926

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Soundtracks

Tumba
Performed by Angélique Kidjo
Written by Angélique Kidjo, Carlinhos Brown
Angelique Kidjo Publishing Designee. EMI Blackwood Music Inc.
© Edicoes Musicais Tapajos Ltd / Warner Chappell Music France
Avec l'autorisation des Editions EMI Music Publishing France SA
(Tous droits reserves pour l'Univers entier)
(p) 2002 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
© l'aimable autorisation de Sony Music Entertainment (France) S.A.S.

User Reviews

Nothing to it

I saw this film last night as part of a Catherine Deneuve festival. She never disappoints me, and she didn't disappoint me this time, but the film did. Gerard Depardieu also was outstanding as usual; he is utterly amazing in his ability to portray vastly different characters despite his utterly distinctive physical presence.

I regard any film that holds my attention throughout as being basically good, and any that doesn't as basically bad. This one held my attention, so it's good. I kept wanting to see what happened next.

But there are degrees of goodness, and this one was down near the bottom. At the end, I thought, "Well, what am I supposed to take out of all that?" Two former lovers may or may not be reunited; if they are, it may or may not be the result of witchcraft; the half-gay son's girlfriend is unhappy about something, but I have no idea what it it is or if it's going to get better; her sister is also troubled, but I have no idea what about; maybe something significant was said about the politics of Tangier and/or Iraq, but if so it went over my head.

The hand-held camera, as always, didn't make me think about the significance of the events that were unfolding; it just unsettled my stomach by forcing me to adjust my field of vision every millisecond. When you think about it, the basic rationale for constant use of hand-held cameras is fundamentally stupid. It doesn't add realism; it destroys it. When I observe people interacting, I don't dance around them as photographers holding cameras seem compelled to do; and if I do move, my field of vision changes smoothly and, to me, unnoticeably. But when the hand-held camera moves, it jerks, and the viewer has to adjust his field of vision and then absorb the sights he sees. Bring back the good old days where the images were the focus, not the camera-work.