A film first profiled in February, as one a number of new projects up for sale at the the European Film Market (EFM) in Berlin, titled Porn In The Hood – a French film from French production company Gaumont.
Porn In The Hood was released in 270 French cinemas by Gaumont yesterday, as it begins in theatrical run in France; like most other French titles we've profiled here, I don't expect it to travel much outside of that country.
Directed by actor, comedian, director Frank Gastambide, Porn in the Hood centers on 3 unemployed young men from the banlieues of Paris who try to break into the porn business. Of course, hijinx and hilarity ensue.
The banlieues by the way, are essentially the projects; the word has become an euphemism to describe low-income housing projects in which primarily immigrants live – North African immigrants especially.
Here's a longer synopsis:
Mousten, Abdelkrim and Momo, are three childhood friends who have always lived in the slums of Melun. All three wear baseball caps and gym shoes, and all three have the same problem: they are desperately single and spend their days watching life go by, unmotivated and with no ambition. And then, one day they discover a classified ad in a porn magazine, announcing auditions to become a porn star. Hard up for women and cash, they decide to go for what sounds like the best job in the world. This attempt becomes a journey of discovery and the greatest adventure in their lives.
Did I mention hijinx and hilarity? đ
Gastambide, who also wrote the script, stars as one of the 3 men, along with Jib Pocthier and Medi Sadoun.
Here's a quote from the filmmaker regarding the film that I thought was worth sharing, which should help put the film in some context:
"Our idea was always to make a caricature out of our own council estate influences: to dare to laugh at ourselves, our style, our complexes, our interactions with girls,… Guys from the council estates are often struck by real emotional misery. There is such a gulf separating them from girls. Between your friends' sisters who are untouchable, those who want to get married with whom it's a real obstacle course, and the lighter girls who everybody dates, you only have your friends left! [Laughs] Or you can take your car and drive to Paris. Except that with your style, you're always going to be a loser!"
Obviously struck by "The lighter girls who everybody dates." I'm not sure what he means there, if it's a colorism thing, or something more abstract.
No media to look at yet – stills, clips, trailer etc; the photo above is of the director, Gastambide.
Try searching for the film, with its title, and you'll get the kind of results that you probably wouldn't want đ
Maybe our readers in France who do see this can share their thoughts with us…
Cineuropa does say that:
Despite its humour sometimes being in bad taste and often a little heavy-handed, the film has been rather unexpectedly well-reviewed by the critics who were amused by the film's transgressive tone, the (very self-depreciating) authenticity of its popular roots, and the "charm" of several of its cameo appearances.
Interesting.
