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The Secret of the Grain

Play trailer Poster for The Secret of the Grain Released Dec 24, 2008 2h 31m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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92% Tomatometer 53 Reviews 76% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
As the shipyard where a Tunisian immigrant works is winding down, Slimane plans to us his redundancy to open a couscous restaurant, with the main dish cooked by his ex-wife Souad, who is renowned among family and friends for the quality of her food. His daughter Rym supports him and she uses her wiles to help him but he must also win over the local businessmen and bureaucrats to raise funds and gain planning permission.

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The Secret of the Grain

The Secret of the Grain

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Critics Consensus

A complex portrait of an immigrant family, The Secret of the Grain is a sprawling, intimate film with many fine performances.

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Critics Reviews

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Shubhra Gupta The Indian Express [Abdel] Kechiche knows his subject and the film reflects the warmth and understanding with which he views it, though it is inordinately long at 2 hrs and 30 minutes. Apr 30, 2019 Full Review Elisabeth Lequeret Film Comment Magazine Kechiche may subscribe to Renoir's "Everyone has his reasons," but here he shoots the action with a nervous tension that's more evocative of Pialat. Nov 14, 2013 Full Review David Fear Time Out Rated: 5/5 Nov 17, 2011 Full Review Kaleem Aftab The List This depiction of Arab family life with all its attendant problems shares with comparable drama La Haine an empathy for immigrants. Rated: 4/5 Nov 4, 2018 Full Review Annie Wagner The Stranger (Seattle, WA) Almost certainly the best movie in SIFF 2008, Abdellatif Kechiche's follow-up to Games of Love & Chance burrows into a tight-knit Tunisian immigrant community in a small port town in the south of France. Aug 21, 2017 Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand The best of the film is expressed between the beats of the plot and the meandering conversations around dinner tables or over drinks on the sidewalk tables of a hotel bar. It's as joyous and genuine a portrait of a community as you'll see in the movies. May 12, 2017 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member This was certainly a powerful story of life's purpose, meaning, and the result that random coincidences can have on it. Unfortunately, it was way too long but the conclusion was well executed. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member I like the characters and feel sympathy and comprehension for them, but that is not enough to make a movie. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member God, the first half is really boring and it has this over-complicated knot. Thank God the second half is more interesting and mind-provoking. But I think it's overuse the short-range shots and the cinematography & style aren't fresh and interesting. The cinematography just REALLY plain. And it's not really complex, and the actors ability are good. Hafsia Herzi is really excellent while Habib Boufares makes me yawning. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review Audience Member Neo-realist. Beautiful. Profound. And with the most life like performances I've ever seem captured on film. Modern classic. Essential viewing. One of the best films of the 21st century. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Audience Member Exquisite, provocative, gorgeous, subtle... Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member The use of long takes, including long stretches of dialogue, is very impressive and suggests that some of the script may be improvisational. I liked the chit-chat, the small details of daily life (like toilet-training a child), that films normally gloss over. The film has a documentary look and feel and parts are like a fly-on-the-wall at a family gathering. The female performances in the film are particularly affecting, especially the young Hafsia Herzi and her belly dance. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Secret of the Grain

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Cast & Crew

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Abdel Kechiche

Director

Habib Boufares

Slimane Beiji

Hafsia Herzi

Rym

Farida Benkhetache

Karima

Abdelhamid Aktouche

Hamid

Bouraouïa Marzouk

Souad

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The Secret of the Grain

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Movie Info

Synopsis As the shipyard where a Tunisian immigrant works is winding down, Slimane plans to us his redundancy to open a couscous restaurant, with the main dish cooked by his ex-wife Souad, who is renowned among family and friends for the quality of her food. His daughter Rym supports him and she uses her wiles to help him but he must also win over the local businessmen and bureaucrats to raise funds and gain planning permission.
Director
Abdel Kechiche
Producer
Claude Berri
Screenwriter
Abdel Kechiche
Distributor
IFC Films
Production Co
Hirsch Productions, Pathé Renn Productions, France 2 Cinéma
Genre
Drama
Original Language
French (France)
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 24, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
May 23, 2017
Runtime
2h 31m
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