Fond Kiss..., Ae (2004)

Réalisateur:

Ken Loach

Scénariste:

Paul Laverty (screenplay)

Release Date:

14 juillet 2004 (France)

Genre:

Drame | Romance

Plot:

Sparks fly in Glasgow's south side when a young Pakistani man enters into a relationship with a Caucasian woman.

Plot Keywords:

Family | Guitar | Female Nudity | F Word | Immigrant

Awards:

7 wins & 11 nominations

Avis des utilisateurs:

Gritty, realistic, excellent

Ensemble

Atta Yaqub	...	Casim Khan
Eva Birthistle	...	Roisin Hanlon
Ahmad Riaz	...	Tariq Khan
Shamshad Akhtar	...	Sadia Khan
Shabana Akhtar Bakhsh	...	Tahara Khan (as Shabana Bakhsh)
Ghizala Avan	...	Rukhsana Khan
David McKay	...	Wee Roddie
Raymond Mearns	...	Big Roddie
Gary Lewis	...	Danny
Shy Ramsan	...	Hamid
Emma Friel	...	Annie
Karen Fraser	...	Elsie
John Yule	...	Headmaster
Ruth McGhie	...	Mary Nolan
Father David Wallace	...	Father David

Autre(s) titre(s) :

A Fond Kiss... (International: English title) (alternative spelling)
Bacio appassionato, Un (Italy)
Beso, Un (Spain)
Just a Kiss (Europe: English title)
Sólo un beso (Spain)
Just a Kiss (France) [fr]

MPAA:

Rated R for some strong sexuality and language.

Durée:

104 min

Pays:

UK | Belgium | Germany | Italy | Spain

Langue:

Anglais | Punjabi

Couleur:

Couleur

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Son:

Dolby Digital

Classification:

South Korea:15 | Australia:MA | Spain:13 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich) | Brazil:16 | Finland:K-11 | Germany:6 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Italy:T | Singapore:R21 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Norway:15 (DVD rating)

Emplacements De Pelliculage:

Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland, UK

Company:

Bianca Film

Anecdotes:

The title refers to the Robert Burns poem, "Ae Fond Kiss".

Connexions De Film:

Referenced in Telma demain (2005) (TV)

Gritty, realistic, excellent

Every romance film should be this way; the lovers bickering, throwing each other out of the apartment, taking shots at each other's families and generally not getting along in between periods of being so intensely in love that they forget everything but each other.

Sadly, most romance movies aren't like this at all.

Ae Fond Kiss, or Just a Kiss, is a gritty account of two blue-collar workers in love, one a Scottish girl and the other a product of an immigrant Pakistani family, all taking place in the not so glamorous city of Glasgow during the late 20th century. The Scottish girl is a music teacher at a Catholic school and meets the Pakistani boy when her guitar is broken during a racial incident. So far it follows much of the standard boy-meets-girl line. The romance takes off, they find they are getting along swell, and then the price comes due.

You can see it coming, the Muslim Pakistani family coming down on the boy for not going along with his arranged marriage, and him going on the outs with his family. But then the price comes due for his Scottish girlfriend, too, and that was a little harder to call. It comes down to both of them having to pay a price for their love, and the various tests of their willingness to do so. Even at the end, it was a bit uncertain, as such a romance would probably be. You can almost see them trying to decide if this is worth the trouble they are going through, or just a lust thing they will eventually get over.

The characters are likable, even when you don't agree with them. The father who doesn't want his son going out with a Catholic girl is not only likable, you can even see his point of view and the quandary he is in. The story line is believable, especially today, and the sub plots were intriguing.

I'm not normally much for romance films, unless there are a lot of naked chicks wobbling around, or the popcorn is really good, but I liked this movie quite a bit. Something in it appeals to even a die hard chick flick hater like me. It would make an excellent date movie, giving you something to discuss while providing that all important element of romance that leads to your hand sliding off the gear shift and squeezing her thigh while you make some pseudo-intellectual point about one of the various issues in the film.

There is no feel-good Hollywood ending here, it just sort of fades out, leaving you wondering what would happen with such a couple. Did they stay together? Did the boy reconcile with his family? But you don't feel cheated out of an ending, rather you are forced to confront how you, the viewer, would deal with the same or similar issues.