A young Frenchman of Arab descent, Djamel, becomes convinced that his long-lost father is a rich factory owner in Grenoble. When the man coldly rejects him, Djamel plots a revenge that will implicate the man's closeted gay son.
Acting
Belmadi's simmering desperation never asks for sympathy.
Direction
Lifshitz turns 62 minutes into a complete emotional collapse.
Cinematography
Grenoble's cold industrial beauty mirrors the characters' isolation.
Director
Sébastien Lifshitz
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Made for French television in 1999, this represents a rare moment when queer cinema and working-class Algerian-French experience intersected on mainstream screens.
Lifshitz cast himself as the silent ice rink boy Djamel watches—an observer of his own story about observation and desire.
FR
