Hideous Kinky, named for the young girls favorite words, is set in Morocco -- particularly Marrakech -- in 1972. The story deals with a young flower child fleeing London with her two daughter because of a broken love relationship. Kate Winslet, as Julia, captures the mood of the era very well. She plays the role of the naive, self-absorbed young woman searching for spiritual enlightenment or as she says, "annihilation of self" convincingly. At these times an interesting role reversal takes place with the daughters acting as the parent. The daughters are played brilliantly by Bella Riza and Carrie Mullan and steal the show. A great performance was also given by Said Taghmaoui who plays a local acrobat, Julia's lover, the daughter's father figure, and somewhat mysterious and confused young man. Morocco with its marketplace scenes, people and customs, architecture, and desert give the film an omnipresent exotic feeling. A soundtrack that includes local traditional music and dissident rock music of the era (America and Jefferson Airplane are two I can remember) fit seamlessly. Good plot, interesting characters, great acting, fantastic setting, and well integrated soundtrack --- what more could you ask for? Recommended! Three plus stars!!!
Review of Hideous Kinky
