As part of this year's French Film Festival, Lydia and I were going to watch Combien tu m'aimes? (How much do you love me?) with Monica Bellucci and Gerard Depardieu, but it was sold out so we watched the movie on after it. It was Camping à la ferme starring no one I knew, although it did feature the actor who played Joseph the freak from Amelie.Written by Azouz Begag, the basic plot is that Amar (Roschdy Zem), is a social worker with the idea that community service for juvenile delinquents should take place in the French countryside where the kids can be put to use by helping small communities. From the nasty suburbs of Paris, Amar takes six boys aged in their late teens, of multiple ethinicities but mostly of a North African islamic background, to a small farming community and a number of *fish-out-of-water* hijinks ensue.
It's pretty straightforward combination of the concept of La France Profonde, some comedy, and also an examination of prejudices, small-town politics, and the effect of European Union plans on small farmers. I'm not sure how well the movie functions on both ends. There are genuine laugh-out-loud bits and the issues raised are thought-provoking, but sometimes the humour seems out of place when compared to the issues, and while everyone involved is changed nothing seems to be really resolved at the end. I guess a part of this is due to the fact that problems regarding racism and the way politicians are willing to use minorities to push their own agenda etc. aren't things that can be solved within 92 minutes of film.
The characters both urban and rural can be quite stereotypical and the situations clichéd, but it's ok overall.
6.5-7/10.
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