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Marseillais director Robert Guediguian (Marius Et Jeanette) returns with another moving portrait of blue-collar life in his home city. Based on James Baldwin's novel If Beale Street Could Talk, A La Place Du Coeur is narrated by pregnant 16-year-old Clim (Raoust), whose black boyfriend Bebe (Gou) is in prison on a rape charge. Intent on persuading the victim to withdraw her testimony, Clim's mother (Ascaride) journeys to Bosnia, while back in Marseilles, Bebe's father Franck (Meyan) struggles to cope with the strain of the case.
Flashing backwards and forwards in time, Guediguian treats every character with compassion, handling the various `issues' - racism, alcoholism, unemployment - with a refreshing lightness of touch. Poignant performances, vivid images and the Liszt score help ensure that the struggles of these `ordinary people' acquire a heroic dimension.
The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine.
