"Mounir" (Riz Ahmed) is the Londoner who returns to Paris, the city of his birth, to try and reconnect with his father. This man (Yousfi Henine) arrived from colonial Algeria, changed his name to "Joe" and tried to assimilate into French society. His wife managed to have three kids - by three different men of differing skin colours before she moved to on the UK without him. With a cultural maelstrom both ahead and behind the traveller, we now experience some of his emotions as he reminisces about the past - real and imagined - before meeting "Hafzia" (Souheila Yacoub) who offers him a glimmer of what a future might mean in a city where he has many roots, yet none. There may well be something autobiographical about this short feature from Yann Demange but even so, it's an oddly shallow and meandering wander around the night-spots of Paris accompanied by Ahmed's strained narration. It's telling us all about the contrasting cultures as the Arab meets the Parisian who ends up being a Londoner, but their characterisations offer us little more than you might expect from a romantic "visit Paris" video. Why did we need to know about the colour of his mother's other partners, for example? Isabelle Adjani's cabaret performance adds little but an extra bit of stardom to the credits and I am afraid I just didn't quite see the point of this rather self-indulgent critique of identity.

French-language cinema, whether in France, Québec, or other Francophone regions, explores cultural identity, social change, and the tension between the individual and society. French cinema is not only celebrated for its intellectual experimentation and auteur traditions, but also its success in mainstream comedy, romance, and commercial entertainment. In Québec, films often focus on questions of language, belonging, and community within a distinct cultural landscape.

Jean-Pierre Léaud in The 400 Blows (1959)

The drama genre is a broad category that features stories portraying human experiences, emotions, conflicts, and relationships in a realistic and emotionally impactful way. Dramas delve into the complexities of human life, often exploring themes of love, loss, morality, societal issues, personal growth, with the aim to evoke an emotional response from the audience by presenting relatable and thought-provoking stories.

Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)

The short form refers to creative works characterized by their brevity and concise storytelling. Unlike full-length feature films, short films have a running time of less than 45 minutes, while TV shorts have a running time of less than 22 minutes.

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)

A man travels back to Paris while navigating his past experiences and weird glimpses of the present in an effort to reconnect with his estranged father. He is forced to face his fears and guilt while also reclaiming his lost Arab identity.

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"The Gentlemen" and "Slow Horses" return this fall, while the "Reacher" spin-off series "Neagley" makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

2026 Fall TV and Streaming Watch Guide

&quot;The Gentlemen&quot; and &quot;Slow Horses&quot; return this fall, while the &quot;Reacher&quot; spin-off series &quot;Neagley&quot; makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.

Streaming Stars, Then and Now

Vanessa Hessler and Aurélien Muller in Reality+ (2014)

Toomas Beneath the Valley of the Wild Wolves

Toomas Beneath the Valley of the Wild Wolves (2018)

Irene Bedard, John Reddy, Jashaun St. John, and Kevin Hunter in Songs My Brothers Taught Me (2015)

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