Street Flow

can you please upload English version

The movie discusses the question "Is the situation of the banlieue (suburbs) the responsibility of the government?" through the debate between Soulaymann and Lisa which takes place over the course of the movie. Lisa is on the pro-side while Soulaymann is arguing against government responsibility. Soulaymann argues that the fate of a banlieusard/suburbanite is not decided by the government nor by underbelly of the banlieue/suburbs, but chosen and made by the individual. It is the typical attitude of underdogs. The movie makes a show of how this represents how the banlieusards really feel with an overdramatic scene of them cheering him on and being pumped up by his speeches, but I did not feel convinced by his arguments. The personal anecdotes he used were weak examples of why the rough life in the banlieue is not the responsibility of the government. The government may not have influenced his path in life but who's to say that that's the same for the rest of the banlieue? Given how the movie did not manage to convince nor emotionally engage me in the belief that banlieusards' are masters of their own fate, the attempt by the movie to empower the real-life banlieusards felt cliché and appeared to be made solely for the sake of making an overused story of an underdog being transformed into a hero that empowers his community. Besides the lack of originality in the storywriting, some scenes also did not appear to support the movie's main argument that the fate of the banlieusards are chosen by themselves. For example, the racist cops body-searching Soulaymann on the street without a warrant is proof that the government's institutions (which are the government itself) consider the banlieusards as partial citizens not deserving of all the rights given to full citizens. Without full rights, it follows that the banlieusards have less resources than who the government accepts as full citizens and therefore would have to turn to crime to make their living alongside the full citizens. This scene shows that the government is at least partly responsible for the poverty of the banlieue. Yet the movie and Soulaymann did not address this counterargument.

I really had no plan on watching this movie, and really just played it from minute 5 to get an idea of it. And I got instantly tucked in. Really enjoyable piece of entertainment coupled with a very nice base for thoughts on immigration, integration and social differences. Would recommend to anyone.

I want to first say, I don't mind slow movies, and I don't mind long movies (this one was slow, but short, but felt long). I've watched long movies, and slow movies, and enjoyed them. But this movie drug on and on. The movie description is a bit deceptive. No one in this is living on "the streets". The supposed "projects", look far better than a lot of places I lived in. This movie was slow. There was no plot. I wanted to like it. The acting was decent, but it was just like they filmed a bunch of random things happening, little incidents, with no real "story". I think what they were trying to do was simply show us a side of France we may not be familiar with... one where the police street check blacks, and gangsters (white and black alike) kill each other, and people rob each other etc. It wasn't really effective. The speech scenes got old. But the final speech in the "debate" was kind of interesting. Over all there was no real "story" to this. It just felt like a series of incidents filmed, leading up to nothing. I like movies that make me thing, movies that explore issues of race, or morality. But this one just fell short. I found myself bored too much to give this even a 5 star rating. I feel bad giving it a low rating, because I feel like in some way that takes away from the messages the movie tries to express... but sadly, it didn't have enough of a story to really rate it high. Some of the camera angles were weird too, which took me out of the moment. Such as one scene where they were sitting outside at a little cafe table, and to the front left and right were giant faces of two people... but ahead of them were our characters. That really took me out of the moment, as did many scenes. Yet... some scenes were filmed well too.

A little slice of the French projects around Paris, la "banlieue" and its habitants les banlieusards, those on the wrong side of the boulevard peripherique, the circular surrounding Paris. Not necessarily realistic sometimes, actually making the banlieue look better than it is in lots of parts, but showing the huge range of possibilities and the randomness of it all. With the best or worst intentions some might rise some might fall, some make fast choices to provide for themselves or their families and meet their doom just as fast, some might get a second chance, some might not. I thought it was very well directed, and the four main actors are great, I hope to see them again in the near future.

This film portrays the "banlieu" in the most perfect way, from the conversation to the action scenes and I could not find a single flaw in this film. If you are not from the project then you will not be able to enjoy or relate but with only this film you can learn everything. This film touches every subject, from the lack of involvement of the state to the individuals responsibility of it own choices and much more. You laugh in some parts and cry in others but in the end you will feel fulfilled but you will still want more. All applauds to the writers, actors and directors, THIS IS A MASTERPIECE!!!!!!!

The main flaw of this film is that it hesitates all long between crime gangsta flick and the social didactic drama depicting the life in the remoted suburbs. It's not LA HAINE, nor CHOUF, in waiting to LES MISERABLES, released in two months from now. The film makers are obviously from the urban jungle, the ghetto, so they know what the speak about. It's not Always done without ankwardness, but it's a honest piece of work. The true life I guess, but I repeat, we Don't know what we see here, a crime movie or a social study. But worthy. I would have guessed to find Doudou Masta here. A mobster character would have fit him like a glove. Or even Kaaris...

Finally Kery James gets the opportunity to produce his award winning script, and what a script that is! It beautifully portrays the life of a family, with each family member having his own struggles in the "Banlieues" of Paris.

Actors didn't play well. Their behaviour was so cliché. The story's superficial. Overall the movie overhyped.

This is the story of three African descent brothers living in France. The oldest brother (Kery James) is a gentleman drug dealer. His mother doesn't care for his occupation. The middle brother is graduating law school. The youngest brother takes after his oldest brother. There isn't much in the way of action. It is mostly a family drama and I could not get into the characters. While the acting is fine, the plot stalled. Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.