Faced with criticisms from some corners about the gaze employed on his young leads in “Blue Is The Warmest Color,” director Abdellatif Kechiche doubles down with his new film “Mektoub My Love: Canto Uno.” In fact, the trailer forgoes any dialogue and lets the camera dance around the characters who spend plenty of time making out and frolicking in their swimsuits.
Featuring a cast of mostly unknowns (Shaïn Boumedine, Ophélie Bau, Salim Kechiouche, Lou Luttiau, Alexia Chardard and Hafsia Herzi), the story follows a young screenwriter faced with a difficult choice between his lover and his career. However, there’s arguably more drama to the movie behind-the-scenes. ‘Mektoub My Love’ missed Cannes last year as the director faced a legal battle from producers when it was revealed he was attempting to expand the project into two films. Later, Kechiche offered to auction his Palme d’Or to raise enough funds to finish post-production. At any rate, ‘Mektoub My Love’ — which runs over three hours long — finally landed at the Venice Film Festival, where the reception wasn’t so hot. Jessica Kiang was cool on the effort, writing, ” ‘Mektoub’ titillates without ever delivering the up-to-your-eyes immersion that the filmmaker’s best work deals in.”
“Mektoub My Love: Canto Uno” opens in France on March 21st, and in the U.K. later this year via Curzon Artificial Eye. There’s no U.S. distributor for the picture at the moment.
