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Inside the strict confines of a facility for juvenile delinquents, a powerful and delicate love story unfolds in Zeno Graton’s daring debut film. Despite the challenges they face, Joe (portrayed brilliantly by Khalil Ben Gharbia) can’t help but be drawn to William (played by Julien De Saint Jean), a rebellious detainee. Though their attempts at escape are unsuccessful, their connection serves as a source of emotional salvation.
Their strong connection, filled with both fiery passion and affection, defies the strict rules and constant monitoring that dictate their actions. Now, their days are not just filled with responsibilities and learning, but also with kisses and embraces. At night, the lovestruck couple presses their bodies against the wall that divides their cells. As William listens to music from Joe’s radio, this poignant moment pays homage to Jean Genet’s iconic queer short film, Un Chant d’Amour, where two imprisoned inmates share a cigarette through a hole in the prison wall.
Graton’s movie also highlights the underlying mistreatment that leads to the detainees’ criminal lifestyles. Despite efforts at rehabilitation and the good intentions of social workers, these measures prove to be insufficient. In a poetry exercise, Joe shares his emotions through his writing, discussing his troubled home life and the ongoing racism he faces as a young French person of Arab descent. The cycle of incarceration is intentionally inescapable, but the film also explores the potential for a different type of cycle – one of spiritual rebirth, as depicted through the love between Joe and William, symbolized by Joe’s tattoo of the ouroboros.
Source: theguardian.com
