Mektoub, My Love (2017)

A teen boy comes back to his hometown during summer vacation in search for love (in 1994).

Director:

Abdellatif Kechiche

Writers:

François Bégaudeau (novel), Abdellatif Kechiche (screenplay)

Stars:

Shaïn Boumedine, Ophélie Bau, Salim Kechiouche

4 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Shaïn Boumedine	...	Amin
Ophélie Bau	...	Ophélie
Salim Kechiouche	...	Tony
Lou Luttiau	...	Céline
Alexia Chardard	...	Charlotte
Hafsia Herzi	...	Camélia
Delinda Kechiche	...	La mère d'Amin
Kamel Saadi	...	Kamel
Hatika Karaoui	...	La mère de Tony
Meleinda Elasfour	...	Mel
Hamid Rahmi	...	Joe
Roméo De Lacour	...	Aimé
Karina Kolokolchykova	...	La jeune fille russe
Mohamed Souda	...	Le père d'Amin
David Ribeiro	...	Fernando

Storyline

Amin, an aspiring screenwriter and photographer, returns to his hometown, a fishing village in the south of France, after living a year in Paris. He spends his time hopping from beach to beach and from bar to bar, finding his childhood friends and chasing new encounters. The summer lights of the Mediterranean coast guide his quest for love, as he hopes to live a passionate romance like in the movies. Surrounded by his loving family, who sometimes helps and often hinders, Amin searches to find his own way. Inspiration comes in the form of many female characters who enchant him, but when it comes to love only the mektoub ("destiny" in Arabic) can decide. This coming-of-age saga set in 1994 casts a nostalgic glow on losing the innocence of youth.

---

Plot Keywords:

year 1994 | coming of age | love | sex scene | bare breasts | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Romance

---

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site [France] Official site [UK]

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French English

Release Date:

21 March 2018 (France)

Also Known As:

Destiny, My Love: First Song

Filming Locations:

Sète, Hérault, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

€30,859 (Italy), 27 May 2018, Limited Release

Company Credits

Production Co:

Quat'sous Films, Pathé, France 2 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

181 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

It is the first part of the cycle 'Mektoub is Mektoub,' a free film adaptation of François Bégaudeau's novel The Injury.'

---

Goofs

Around 00:43:03, Céline's glass is half empty. On the next shot, it's almost full.

---

Connections

References The Big Blue (1988)

User Reviews

Needlessly eroticized coming-of-age story

This is a film that's hard to review; it is technically well done, but once in a while you wonder why you are watching what you're watching.

The film offers many ingredients of a good coming-of-age story: realistic characters, realistic character developments, realistic scenarios, realistic dialogues. Its perspective is not moralistic; It neither blames nor encourages any of its characters' different approaches to sex and life.

The problem, however, is that if you cut one hour of the movie out, it wouldn't lose any significance. Indeed, a lot of the film is plain gazing at the plump bodies of women, but the thing is that the gazed body parts do not add anything to the film. One could argue that the long sex scene in La Vie d'Adele gave the viewer an opportunity to get acquainted with the characters since the way a person has sex also tells a lot about them. The same argument sadly cannot be given in this film. Hence, you have a three hour long movie instead of two. Nonetheless, the longevity of the film does not mean that the film is stretched out. Three hours pass by in a relatively quick fashion (especially if you like women).

I just hope women and the animals in the movie did not have to endure shootings that they didn't particularly enjoy, considering Léa Seydoux's and Adele Exarchopoulos's harsh comments on the director at the time.