Salut Cousin!

Salut Cousin, directed by Merzac Allouache, was not at all "delightfully zany" as Stephen Holden suggested to us in his 1995 New York Times Review. The movie was excruciating to get through and almost painful to watch as nothing happened. If a mood had to be assigned it would have to be something like stereotypical Parisian pop culture of the mid-90's, nothing else. The storyline was scattered and underdeveloped. What Holden describes as " the City of Light as an invitingly giddy multicultural swirl," is what he perceives the unfocused goal of the director. The one promising storyline, the romance between Alilo and the Fatoumata, a young black woman from Mok's neighborhood, is disappointing. The relationship which began of longing glances exchanged from apartment windows failed to develop into a more substantial relationship. This outdated film lacks charm and substance. The combination of whimsical plus reality did not work, as proven by the flying motorcycle scene, which made absolutely no sense at all. The sex cafe, was supposed to be a comic relief, but instead was awkward and unnecessary. There was no back story as to why he was there, because the audience was not given any context as to why he was actually there. When he began to imagine Fatoumata, it gave us the viewer very little insight to his character. All the characters were underdeveloped, and no emotional connection was established. The audience was familiar with Mok and Alilo's personality, yet could feel no empathy for them. Overall this movie was sloppy, unfocused, and slow, and definitely not a must-see.