Khamsa (2008)

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  (144 ratings)

A young man caught between two cultures is looking for a place to call home in this drama from France. Marco (Marc Cortes) was born to an Arab mother and a Romany father; his mom died when he was very young, and at thirteen he's been living in a foster home after being abandoned by his dad, who has… More A young man caught between two cultures is looking for a place to call home in this drama from France. Marco (Marc Cortes) was born to an Arab mother and a Romany father; his mom died when he was very young, and at thirteen he's been living in a foster home after being abandoned by his dad, who has fathered children with a handful of women. Wanting to be with his family, Marco runs away and tracks down his father, but Dad (Simon Abkarian) isn't especially interested in spending time with him, his step-mother (Magali Contreras) wants to turn him over to the police, and his grandmother is in very poor health. Marco is befriended by his cousin Tony (Tony Fourmann), who with his pals Coyote (Raymond Adam) and Rachtique (Mehdi Laribi) runs with a gang who steal purses with the help of motor scooters. Marco joins his new friends in the pursuit of petty crime, but when a robbery goes wrong, the blame falls on his shoulders, and while the gang includes both Arabs and Gypsies, neither side is willing to step forward to help a half-breed like Marco. Khamsa received an enthusiastic reception when it was screened in competition at the 2008 Locarno Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi