A Few Days of Respite (2011)
Mohsen teaches French at the University of Tehran, and Hassan is a photographer. Mohsen and Hassan are also lovers, and in Iran they live in fear, as homosexuality is punishable by death. Tired of denying their love, Mohsen and Hassan flee Iran to head to Paris, where they'll be illegal aliens but can at least live openly as a couple. To avoid arousing suspicion until they arrive in Paris, Mohsen and Hassan keep their distance while traveling, and during a train stop, Mohsen helps a sixty-ish women, Yolande, with her luggage. The two strike up a conversation and she clearly enjoys his company; over dinner, she offers to help him find work in town and let him stay at her apartment. It's clear to Yolande that Mohsen is an illegal immigrant, but she doesn't realize that he's gay, and he finds himself wondering if he should stay with Hassan or live with Yolande, where he would not have love but would enjoy safety, security and could easily become a French citizen through marriage.
Director: Amor Hakkar
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Marina Vlady as Yolande |
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Amor Hakkar as Moshen |
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Samir Guesmi as Hassan |
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Shimon Ben Lulu as People smuggler |
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Yves Grenard as Old man on the tracks |
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Stéphanie Saliège as Pianist |
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Sarah Hakkar as Little girl at the station |
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Kim Nezzar as Little girl's father |
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Wahila Aïb as Little girl's mother |
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Julia Rousseau as SNCF ticket office clerk |
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Noël Bourdin as Taxi driver Andelot |
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Jonathan Meyer as SNCF controller |
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Alan Anderson as Bartender |
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Annette Mermet as "Solidarité Monde" volunteer (voice) |
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Hélène Jouie as "Solidarité Monde" volunteer (voice) |
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Eric Legoff as Photographer |
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David Niault as Hotel receptionist |
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Jean-Hugues Marguier as Waltzer, lookalike of Moshen |
| Directing | Amor Hakkar | Director |
