SPOILERS Pretty violent beginning. Aging male prostitute Vassili (Stephane Rideau) commits a murder, then goes back out on the street, where he meets the much-younger Angelo. Dimitri Durdaine is "Angelo', who has just been beaten up and left in the bushes. Vassili brings Angelo home and looks after him, but then the story gets very dark. Vassili has anger issues, and it always leads to violence. The apartment is dark. The night is dark. But they both can't decide what they really want. Other people (guys and girls) come and go, and they talk about breaking up but they don't. They stick together; it gets even more violent. I get it that the business of prostitution probably DOES come with a certain amount of violence and danger, but this really was more violence than I needed to see. Right at the halfway mark, we are introduced to a mom and little boy, and the story kind of takes a left turn. The girl seems to be Vassili's old friend? wife? I liked the meandering storyline, but this would have been so much better without all the violence. One complaint I have was the translation for the French language. they left many details un-translated. unless you know some francais, you will miss a few things here and there. Written and directed by Gael Morel. I have seen and loved some of his earlier films. Elements of the film were great, but there's just WAY too much violence in this one for me. Beautiful scenes of France, both in the city and in the countryside.
Review of Our Paradise
