Games of Love and Chance (2003)

Its a very multilayered film. It looks rough and row, however, its just a directing trick, mostly because its about kids, and young actors. However, its a complex social drama, where the most important stuff are on the margins of the script, yet quite visible.Its about the troubled, tenage poor kids from the typical suburb blocks of flats whose life looks very simple, although at the same time full of hardships, and difficult situations: lack of money, conflicts with other kids, fathers in prison, etc. There is a lot of anxiety and aggression in their dialogues, although only in the end of film we see the pressure they live under, and race and class struggle that exist in French society. All the jovial representations of the class differences from Marivoux' play, used in the film, get quite a rustic, hyper realistic and graphic shape in the actual context of the kids' lives. What is in background of the story is a bit unspoken social and ethnic background of the girl, Lydia, who is blond, while everyone else is clearly of African or Asian ethnic origin. Lydia might not even be a "European" French, she could be a Muslim too, just her white skin, light hair and eyes, imply certain "trouble" for possible love plot in the film. For some reason, she is different, and often called names by other jealous girls or guys. On the other hand, she also seems quite aware of her distinction. The irony of the fim is that they are all French, just they have not been treated like ones. So the kids in the film are even half-supportive of Lydia and Krimo's potential dating, since they all grew up together, so they still dont apply racial and class distinctions. They do try to see it as an ordinary coupling, and give it a romantic dimension. However, the harsh reality of their lives will come between them. Krimmo himself is a depressed and almost mute guy who desperately tries to be with Lydia. In the end we suspect that its not even love what drives him, but more like some kind of desperate move, desire for escape, wish to bring a difference in his life, with a clear expectation that he would be either turned down by Lydia, or exposed to some other trouble. Krimmo is suspiciously lifeless, which is explained by his father being in jail. However, he is obviously depressed kid, with desperate idea of reaching something extraordinary in his life, which will always stay out of his hands. All female roles in this film are outstanding. Script and directing are very efficient, in spite of long scenes of disputes and conflicts. Kechiche is apparently very good at getting the maximum from his actors. This is highly recommended film.

hello;i'm not -at all- trying to imply any kind of criticism i'm just trying to share u my point of view concerning this movie i've seen yesterday. 1.high pitch dialogs: the long arguments governing a large portion of the movie seems as trying to focus on the real, on earth dialogs taking place between the french & NA immigrants, and maybe other nationalities in France as well. this dialogs seems to be RATHER unprofitable and unheard by both parties, taking an aggressive form in some occasions; this argument is not only found between french-immigrants but also in between immigrants-immigrants themselves; this will lead to the second issue, 2.the theme of POWER: it is so vivid when focusing on the relations between characters of the movie: Lydia-Krimo, Fathi-all other characters, police(government)-all others.* there is one question i would like to raise: Lydia; i can't stop questioning her background? the structure of her character is will built but i guess there is something missing?.

I really did like this film! - those viewers, French or otherwise, who have seen, and been able to follow the sound track of La Haine, will be quite at home in this environment, will know what to expect, and will be sensitive to the message the film conveys. True, it may lack the sort of 'excitement'that some film-goers may seek, but one has to take it for what it is: a hard-hitting social document which will resonate with many who are familiar with the inner-city tensions found in many French towns in recent years. The gambit of choosing amateur actors worked very well,in my opinion, a point which other viewers seem to echo.

Time: The Present Place: An estate in the Paris banlieues. Population: Almost exclusively Arabic.This is the kind of locale than in England we call a 'sink' estate where half the occupants are dealers and the other half users and a girl who reaches fourteen without having three children by three different fathers (thereby qualifying for her own flat and generous State support) is either a lesbian or a VERY ugly heterosexual. It would be nice to think that their local comprehensive was teaching Marlowe, Webster, Ben Johnson or even Shakespeare but somehow I doubt it. Yet Abdel Kechiche - whose idea of directing a film appears to be to plant his camera in the faces of a group of teenage Arabs living in the banlieues, tell them there's 100 euros waiting for the one who can utter the most variants on the F-word in 30 seconds and then yell 'Action' - tries to tell us that fourteen year old Arabs on the outskirts of Paris are so transformed by Marivaux's 'Le jeu d'amour et hasard' (The Game of Love and Chance) that they can't WAIT to rehears it on their own time and in the banlieue itself and get really uptight should they be interrupted. This contrast in lifestyles - the elegant world of Marivaux where manners are everything and the banlieues where good manners consist of kicking someone already on the ground only six instead of seven times in the head - is what passes for subtlety in Kechiche's book. So, fourteen year old Krimo (Osman Elkharraz) who's known Lydia (Sarah Forestier) all his life only really NOTICES her when she plays a 'lady' in Marivaux and is so smitten that he bribes the boy playing Arlequin to ankle and leave the way open for him. Credible? Bet your ass and that swampland in Florida is a STEAL at ten grand an acre.