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La Petite Jerusalem
Kino International


6.5

based on 13 reviews
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based on 2 votes
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MPAA RATING: Not Rated

Starring Fanny Valette, Elsa Zylberstein, Bruno Todeschini, Hedi Tillette de Clermont-Tonnerre, Sonia Tahar, Michaël Cohen, Aurore Clément, François Marthouret, Saïda Bekkouche, and Salah Teskouk

Set in the suburban Paris neighbourhood of Sarcelles, known as 'Little Jerusalem' due to its large Jewish population, the film focuses on 18-year-old student Laura (Valette) as she tries to reconcile all the conflicting influences and feelings to which study and experience have introduced her. Religion, philosophy, romantic love and sensual desire all vie for the heart and mind of this smart, serious teenage girl in this skilfully balanced debut feature from writer-director Karin Albou. (Kino International)

GENRE(S):	Foreign
WRITTEN BY:	Karin Albou
DIRECTED BY:	Karin Albou
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: September 12, 2006 Theatrical: January 27, 2006
RUNNING TIME:	97 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	France
LANGUAGE(S):	French / Arabic / Hebrew (with English subtitles)

Also known as "La Petite Jérusalem"; SACD Screenwriting Award, 2005 Cannes Film Festival

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

TV Guide Ken Fox

Beautifully played by Valette and Zylberstein, and directed with amazing grace by Albou, this touching film offers a respectful, fascinating look at a community that's ignored as often as it's misunderstood.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

The sensuality is never salacious, merely curious, and the message is empowering ... at least within the confines of the insular community.

Los Angeles Times Kevin Crust

Philosophy and religion become entangled with love and sex in Karin Albou's intelligent, sensual drama.

New York Post V.A. Musetto

Albou's chosen a touchy subject, which she treats sensitively. Her mature script is complemented by heartfelt turns by Fanny Valette as Laura and Elsa Zylberstein as Mathilde.

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

The film, both light-hearted and serious, suggests that freedom comes more easily within restrictions--and that's true of Albou's approach as well.

LA Weekly Ella Taylor

Absorbing tale of coming of age in a multi-ethnic Paris suburb.

The New York Times Nathan Lee

For the first full hour, as we're guided inside privacies of culture and consciousness, Ms. Albou sustains her rich and gently intoxicating mode of storytelling, a feat all the more admirable in light of the overly schematic script.

The Hollywood Reporter Frank Scheck

Stylish and well-observed while ultimately not adding up to very much.

Variety Lisa Nesselson

In what is arguably her best performance since "Van Gogh," Zylberstein brings Mathilde to life with grace and fervor.

Village Voice Rachel Aviv

The film strains under the influence of too many philosophy texts.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

It would be hard to imagine a filmmaking style as serious yet lazy as the earnest vérité bobbing and weaving employed by La Petite Jérusalem.

Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall

Writer-director Karin Albou nicely balances intellect against spirituality but is defeated by the sex scenes, which are tinged with an Orientalist exoticism; the result is a bodice-ripper for the art-house crowd.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

Understandably, a script so obsessed with the dark doings of plot has little time left over for the study of character, and, thus, we never really get to know these people.

The average user rating for this movie is 6.5 (out of 10) based on 2 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Chad S. gave it a6:
"La Petit Jerusalem" is about the most unlikely Parisians, an Orthodox Jewish family, whose youngest daughter(Laura, played by Fanny Valette) rejects her religion for philosophy(Kant, mostly) as a means to better assimilate within her French surroundings. She walks a lot and looks good riding in a subway car. As a sly gesture, when Laura is by herself, the film itself looks more French than when she's surrounded by family. When Laura gives up her academic pursuits, she stops walking, and "La Petit Jerusalem" stops looking new wavish, and more like a product of the middle east. This almost-successful film is somewhat hampered by a secondary narrative, in which the older sister(Mathilde, played by Elsa Zylberstein) tries to get her freak on to save her marriage(a philandering husband with a taste for blondes). The advice she receives from a religious adviser is imparted in very dull(some will argue, mature) fashion that brings this occasionally invigorating film to a screeching halt. Then we have to watch Mathilde apply her newly-found sexual liberation in a love scene that is fairly suggestive, but highly unerotic, because, well, it's married sex and they're kind of old.

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La Petite Jerusalem Kino International

La Petite Jerusalem
Kino International