Review of Mauvaise foi

Viewed at Seattle IFF, 2007. "Bad Faith" (Mauvaise Foi) is a kind of "Guess who's Coming to Dinner", Paris style, focusing on Arab Jewish rather than black-white racial issues. Featuring the new reigning princess of French cinema, the delectably beautiful Cecile de France as the French version of a "JAP" (Jewish American Princess) who falls in love with a local chap of Arab background and becomes pregnant by him, which leads to The only to be expected complications when the young couple has to break the news to their respective Jewish and Islamic families. The male lead, Roschdy Zem is also the director of the film (his debut as a director) and author of the screenplay. This is a very successful light inter-ethnic comedy obviously calling for mutual understanding between ethnic groups who have been set at each others throats by events far from France. Altogether enjoyable but, perhaps, hopelessly idealistic. De France was seen here recently in "Avenue Montaigne" (Fauteuils d'Orchestre) and appears opposite Depardieu in another festival film. This is an amazingly good-looking young lady well on the way to super-French stardom. Roschdy Zem, while not exactly another Omar Sheriff in looks, is nevertheless a very appealing actor and an obviously talented filmmaker — a new presence to watch on the French film scene.