''Monsieur Ibrahim'' (original title: ''Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran''; (, ''Mister Ibrahim and the Flowers of the

Qur'an The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , si ...

'') is a 2003 French drama film starring

Omar Sharif Omar Sharif ( ar, عمر الشريف ; born Michel Yusef Dimitri Chalhoub , 10 April 193210 July 2015) was an Egyptian actor, generally regarded as one of his country's greatest male film stars. He began his career in his native country in the ...

, and directed by

François Dupeyron François Dupeyron (14 August 195025 February 2016) was a French film director and screenwriter. He directed 17 films between 1977 and 2015. His film '' La Chambre des officiers'' was entered into the 2001 Cannes Film Festival The 54th Cannes ...

. The film is based on a

book A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical ...

and a

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt (born 28 March 1960) is a Franco– Belgian playwright, short story writer and novelist, as well as a film director. His plays have been staged in over fifty countries all over the world. Life Early years Eric-Emmanuel ...

Plot summary

The story unfolds in a working-class neighborhood in the

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

of the 1960s. The protagonist, ''Moїse Schmidt'' (Momo), is a young

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

ish boy growing up without a mother and with a father afflicted by crippling depression. Momo is fascinated by the elderly Turkish

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

man, Ibrahim Demirci (), who runs a grocery store across the street from his

apartment An apartment (American English), or flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that occupies part of a building, generally on a single story. There are ma ...

(where Momo often shoplifts). Their relationship develops and soon Momo feels closer to Ibrahim than to his father. Ibrahim affectionately calls Moїse Momo, and

adopt Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from ...

s him when his father leaves and commits

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...

. Momo and Ibrahim go on a journey in their new car (a Simca Aronde Océane) to

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

, Ibrahim's native country, where Momo learns about Ibrahim's culture. At the end of their adventure, Ibrahim is killed in a car crash and Momo returns to Paris to take over the shop.

Cast

*Monsieur Ibrahim –

*Momo –

Pierre Boulanger Pierre Boulanger (born 8 August 1987) is a French actor. He is known for the 2003 film ''Monsieur Ibrahim'', where he played a young Jewish boy, Moises "Momo" Schmidt and for 2008 film '' Nos 18 ans'' where he played Richard. The young actor wa ...

*Momo's father –

Gilbert Melki Gilbert Melki (; born 12 November 1958) is a French actor. Life and career Nephew of actor Claude Melki (''The Acrobat''), Melki grew up in a Jewish family from Algeria. His father, an antiques dealer, came from Khenchela in Algeria and his mot ...

*Momo's mother –

Isabelle Renauld Isabelle Renauld (; born 24 November 1966 in Saint-Malo, Ille-et-Vilaine) is a French actress. She trained at the Nanterre Amandiers theatre school directed by Patrice Chéreau from 1985 to 1987. She was made a Knight of the Order of Arts and ...

*Myriam –

Lola Naymark Lola Naymark (born 5 April 1987) is a French film and television actress, writer and director.Pallister & Hottell p.45 In 2005 she was nominated for the César Award for Most Promising Actress for her role in ''A Common Thread'' but lost to Sa ...

*Sylvie –

Anne Suarez Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in t ...

*Fatou –

Mata Gabin Mata Gabin is an actress, author, and actress of theatre, born in 1972 in Toulépleu, Ivory Coast. She is of French nationality. Biography She was born on the border of Liberia and Ivory Coast, to a Liberian- Guinean mother and a father ...

*Eva – Celine Samie *The Movie Star – Isabelle Adjani

Awards and nominations

César Award Cesar, César or Cèsar may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''César'' (film), a 1936 film directed by Marcel Pagnol * ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt * César Award, a French film award Places * Cesar, Portugal * Ces ...

, Best Actor 2004: Omar Sharif *

Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...

, Silver Hugo for Best Male Performance 2003: Pierre Boulanger *

Venice International Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

, Audience Award, Best Actor 2003: Omar Sharif Also nominated for several awards, including the 2004

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

for Best Foreign Language Film.

References

External links

* * * * *
Sony website for Monsieur Ibrahim"What is in it"
a related Sufi tale from Idries Shah's '' Wisdom of the Idiots'' {{François Dupeyron 2003 films 2003 drama films Sony Pictures Classics films Films featuring a Best Actor César Award-winning performance Films directed by François Dupeyron Films about race and ethnicity Films based on multiple works Islamic and Jewish interfaith dialogue Sufism French drama films 2000s French films

Plot summary

Cast

Awards and nominations

See also

References

External links