L'esquive (2003)

Director:

Abdel Kechiche

Writer:

Ghalya Laroix (adaptation)

Release Date:

7 January 2004 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

French Suburb | Theater | Rehearsal | Teenager

Awards:

14 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Osman Elkharraz	...	Krimo
Sara Forestier	...	Lydia
Sabrina Ouazani	...	Frida
Nanou Benhamou	...	Nanou
Hafet Ben-Ahmed	...	Fathi
Aurélie Ganito	...	Magalie
Carole Franck	...	French Professor
Hajar Hamlili	...	Zina
Rachid Hami	...	Rachid
Meryem Serbah	...	Krimo's Mother
Hanane Mazouz	...	Hanane
Sylvain Phan	...	Slam
Olivier Loustau	...	Policier
Rosalie Symon	...	Policier
Patrick Kodjo Topou	...	Policier
Lucien Tipaldi	...	Policier
Reinaldo Wong	...	Le couturier
Nu Du	...	Couturière
Ki Hong	...	Couturière
Brigitte Bellony-Riskwait	...	Couturière
Ariyapitipum Naruemol	...	Couturière
Fatima Lahbib	...	Couturière
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Maureen Béchet	...	Oiseau
Maria Beloso-Hall	...	Institutrice
Abdelkrim Benabdeslem	...	Oiseau
Jawad Benabdeslem	...	Oiseau
Mohamed Benabdeslem	...	Copain de Krimo
Leslie Bernardin	...	Elève
Fabio Camoes	...	Copain de Krimo
Julie Cassama	...	Elève
Philippe Chou	...	Oiseau
Eliane De Macedo	...	Elève
Sidi Dembélé	...	Elève
Anice Djebali	...	Elève
Mounir El Kebeh	...	Elève
Warren Gautran	...	Elève
Driss Haddane	...	Elève
Lydie Houchène	...	Soeur de Zina
Sonia Houchène	...	Soeur de Zina
Kama Kotta	...	Elève
Mamou Kotta	...	Elève
Ruddi Koutodjo-Foly	...	Elève
Nassima Mous	...	Elève
Melissa Osmani	...	Oiseau
Nabil Osmani	...	Copain de Krimo
Djamel Ouazani	...	Copain de Krimo
Ahmed Ralah	...	Elève
Mariam Sangare	...	Elève
Fatou Sano	...	Oiseau
Nafisatou Sano	...	Oiseau
Linda Sef	...	Elève
Baba Traoré	...	Elève

Directed by
Abdel Kechiche		(as Abdellatif Kechiche)

Writing credits
Ghalya Laroix		(adaptation and dialogue)

Produced by
Franck Cabot-David	....	associate producer
Jacques Ouaniche	....	producer
Charles Taris	....	associate producer

Cinematography by
Lubomir Bakchev		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Ghalya Laroix

Casting by
Monya Galbi

Production Design by
Michel Gionti		(as Michel-Ange Gionti)

Costume Design by
Maria Beloso-Hall

Production Management
Jacques-Emmanuel Astor	....	unit manager (as Jacques Emmanuel Astor)
Jean-François Gomis	....	assistant unit manager
Mireia Ibars	....	post-production manager
Emeric Le Jouan	....	trainee unit manager
Eric Nebot	....	trainee unit manager
Benoît Pilot	....	production manager
Kamel Saadi	....	assistant unit manager
Nasser Seddik	....	assistant unit manager
Benjamin Treussard	....	supervising unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Carlo Da Fonseca Parsotam	....	first assistant director
Monya Galbi	....	assistant director
Sylvie Peyre	....	assistant director: preparation
Bettina Sanchez	....	second assistant director

Sound Department
Christophe Bourreau	....	foley artist
Sophie Bousquet-Foures	....	sound editor (as Sophie Bousquet)
Jérôme Chenevoy	....	boom operator
Emmanuel Croset	....	sound mixer
Jérôme Pierrot	....	boom operator
Nicolas Waschkowski	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Cecile Ancelin	....	assistant camera
Sofian El Fani	....	camera operator (as Sofian Elfani)
Loïc Malavard	....	still photographer
Frida Marzouk	....	assistant camera
Mathieu Normand	....	assistant camera

Editorial Department
Antonella Bevenja	....	negative cutter
Christophe Bousquet	....	color timer
Violeta Fernandez	....	assistant editor (as Violeta Fernàndez)
Frida Marzouk	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Antoine Banville	....	music editor
Raoul Cepelnik	....	musician
Hasni	....	musician
Dario Ivkovic	....	musician
Zahouania	....	musician
Branislav Zdravkovi	....	musician

Other crew
Stephanie Altamirano	....	production secretary (as Stéphanie Altamirano)
Hadra Kemon	....	administrator
Ghalya Laroix	....	script supervisor

Thanks
Yannick Bernard	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Lola Films
• Noé Productions
• CinéCinéma (participation) (as CinéCiméma)

Distributors

• Rézo Films (2003) (France) (theatrical)
• Films Distribution (2003) (worldwide) (all media)
• FSK Kino & Peripher Filmverleih GmbH (2005) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Filmcooperative (2004) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• IFA (2007) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Mikado Film (2005) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Mikado (2005) (Italy) (theatrical)
• New Yorker Films (2005) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• TVA Films (2005) (Canada) (theatrical) (Québec)
• Notro Films (2005) (Spain) (all media)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2007) (Argentina) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Bogard  camera equipment provided by
• Cinéma l'Ecran  thanks
• Ex Machina  remote video recording
• Excalibur  end titles
• Go Sport  thanks
• La ville de Saint Denis  thanks
• Les Audis Jackson  sound recording studio
• SMJ de Bobigny  thanks
• Transpalux  lighting equipment

Also Known As:

Games of Love and Chance (International: English title)
Votre bouche avec la mienne (France) (working title)

Runtime:

France:117 min | USA:123 min | Argentina:117 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Hong Kong:III | New Zealand:R13 | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud)

Company:

Lola Films

Trivia:

The movie is dedicated Slaheddine.

An excellent example of ethnographic film making in the realm of fiction

This is a dream film, of which I am so entirely thrilled that it received so many awards over the mediocre but over hyped Rois et reine. The self effacement of the director in this film is impeccable, one has the eerie sense of watching a Fred Wiseman documentary. It is true that dialogue can run long and circuitously, but for those with my taste for extreme realism this can only be a downside if the acting is poor, and in l'esquive it is not. The acting is on the contrary frighteningly good, whatever self consciousness the members of this young cast might have before the camera is immediately absorbed in the documentary-like mise en scene, that is to say, it only furthers the sensibilities and aesthetic as a whole. L'esquive is a singular film that we can only hope will influence a generation of young French filmmakers who are tired of the well lit, over produced cinema this country is getting far too comfortable with.