The Secret of the Grain
The Secret of the Grain Image
See the trailer
Metascore
83 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 16 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.1 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 7 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
Rate this:
  • Summary: The Secret of the Grain is a touching and resoundingly humanistic story set in the rustic port of Sete in southeastern France. Slimane has worked in the same shipyard job for over 35 years, when his growing dissatisfaction prompts him to try to open his own restaurant. His dream seems unbelievable, but his contagious conviction and persistence work their way into the hearts of his loyal but dispersed family; the four children from his first marriage, his ex-wife, current girlfriend and her bright, outspoken daughter, Rym. A grand film about ordinary people, The Secret of the Grain is a deliciously slow-burning drama about fate, food and family. (IFC Films)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Wesley Morris
    100
    Takes one man, his children, their spouses and babies, his ex-wife, his girlfriend, her daughter, and his friends and turns it all into a masterpiece about the strange power of food - to heal, unite, exasperate.
  2. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    100
    The title embraces the richness of Kechiche's beautiful film, which captures the rhythms of displacement and hardship, the bond of family meals, and even the daily routines of the magnificent women who are part of Slimane's life.
  3. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    80
    Kechiche takes his time, allowing us to know the characters as if we live next door. But be warned: for those who come to feel like a member of the family, the unexpected end may seem strikingly unfair.
  4. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Ray Bennett
    60
    A penchant for suffocating close-ups and an overabundance of scenes that go on far too long mar Abdellatif Kechiche's The Secret of the Grain, an otherwise engaging drama about an immigrant Arab family in France.

See all 16 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. NicoDaFlagburna
    9
    Powerful matriarchs, a system of economic oppression and a culture told through the medium of food. Sleepy France is seen but never heard, instead the familial space centres the narrative and provides a framework for naturalism. The acting is spot-on, the camera innocently soaks up the atmosphere with a wondrous eye for detail and our perspective is that of an 'insider' like someone who is part of the cultural fabric or part of the family. A great learning experience and positively specific. 9/10 94/100… Expand
  2. evancuster
    8
    the movie starts out rather slowly and is a little confusing with all of the characters their relationships with each other. However, it gradually builds until it becomes very suspenseful and tense in the final 45 minutes, and then with typical French film, ends, leaving the viewer to wonder about how it finally ends. Very absorbing, although some scenes go on too long, and the movie as a whole is rather long, but makes up for it at the end.… Expand
  3. tonyGreen
    8
    Solid family drama that revolves around a family of first generation immigrants ( Algerian ?) and their struggles to build new lives in France. The French spoken has a fairly thick Arabic flavour and was hard to follow but subtitles are well done. Engaging.… Expand

Trailers

Current Movie Releases

Full List »
  1. Fast & Furious 6
    User Score 8.8
  2. Star Trek Into Darkness
    User Score 8.0
  3. Evil Dead (2013)
    User Score 7.6
  4. The Great Gatsby
    User Score 7.6
  5. 42
    User Score 7.2
  6. Oblivion
    User Score 7.1
  7. The Hangover Part III
    User Score 6.6
  8. Iron Man 3
    User Score 6.6
  9. Pain & Gain
    User Score 6.6
  10. G.I. Joe: Retaliation
    User Score 5.5
  11. The Host
    User Score 4.6
  12. Scary Movie 5
    User Score 2.7
  13. Tyler Perry's Temptation
    User Score 2.1
All Current Movies »