''Exils'' is a 2004 French film by

Tony Gatlif Tony Gatlif is a French film director who also works as a screenwriter, composer, actor, and producer. Born 10 September 1948 as Michel (Boualem) Dahmani in Algeria, then officially part of France, to a Berber (Kabyle) father and an Andalusian- ...

. The film follows two young bohemians, Zano and Naima. After having sex, the two spontaneously decide that they will travel to

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

, where Naima's parents come from, and where Zano's (

Romain Duris Romain Duris (; born 28 May 1974) is a French actor. He is best known for his role in Cédric Klapisch's ''Spanish Apartment'' trilogy, which consists of '' L'Auberge Espagnole'' (2002), '' Russian Dolls'' (2005), and '' Chinese Puzzle'' (2013) ...

) ''

pied-noir The (; ; : ) are an ethno-cultural group of people of French and other European descent who were born in Algeria during the period of French colonial rule from 1830 to 1962. Many of them departed for mainland France during and after the ...

'' parents were once exiled. Their adventurous journey to Algiers is full of character exploration, relationship hiccups and imagery. The film was also a homecoming for Gatlif himself, seeing him return to Algeria 43 years after he left.

Plot

Zano and Naima travel from

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, down through

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

toward

but get lost many times along the way. They work as fruit pickers for a while.

Cast and characters

: Zano *

Lubna Azabal Lubna Azabal (born 15 August 1973) is a Belgian actress. Career Azabal was born on 15 August 1973 in Brussels to a Moroccan father and a Spanish mother.Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * As ...

at the

2004 Cannes Film Festival The 57th Cannes Film Festival took place from 12 to 23 May 2004. American filmmaker Quentin Tarantino served as jury president for the main competition. While American filmmaker Michael Moore won the Palme d'Or for the documentary film '' Fahrenh ...

Music

The film features original music by Tony Gatlif and vocals by Rona Hartner, who also performed in Gatlif's movie Gadjo dilo.

References

External links

*
''Exils'' at AllMovie
* 2000s Spanish-language films 2004 films French road movies 2000s road movies Films directed by Tony Gatlif Films shot in Algeria Films shot in Almería 2000s French films {{2000s-France-film-stub