La Graine et le Mulet (The Secret of the Grain) (Couscous) (2007)

92% of critics liked it
(50 reviews)
73% of users liked it
(8,659 ratings)

Though it is seldom discussed (or acknowledged) in the West, modern-day France incorporates a substantial number of immigrant communities, with many indigenes from North Africa populating the bucolic regions of southern Gaul. Abdel Kechiche's La Graine et le Mulet hones in on one such community,… More Though it is seldom discussed (or acknowledged) in the West, modern-day France incorporates a substantial number of immigrant communities, with many indigenes from North Africa populating the bucolic regions of southern Gaul. Abdel Kechiche's La Graine et le Mulet hones in on one such community, located on the ocean, which exudes a laid-back, unforced rhythm and a slower pace of life for all of its residents. For many years, one such occupant, sexagenarian Slimane Beiji (Habib Boufares), has nurtured a single lifelong dream: to open up his own couscous and fish restaurant in the community. This dream appears ever more impossible when Slimane is promptly laid off, but he soon lands on the idea of occupying a wrecked boat and converting it into the restaurant. Meanwhile, the gentleman has recently divorced his wife, Souad (Bouraouia Marzouk), and has moved into a hotel owned by his lover, Latifa (Hatika Karaoui), but Slimane's extended family continues to meet at Souad's home on a weekly basis for her beloved fish couscous, where they expostulate their views on life and reflect on the state of their relationships with one another. In a tangentially related subplot, Slimane's oldest son, Hamid (Abdelhamid Aktouche), enjoys an extramarital affair, ignoring his nuptials with his Russian wife and the presence of his infant boy, and thus endangering the sanctity and happiness of his family. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr. 31 min.
Directed By: Abdel Kechiche
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Sep 3, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Jul 27, 2010
Studio: IFC Films

Critic Reviews

Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post
Never sagging, it unfolds over 2 1/2 hours. Nothing is overexplained. Indeed, it takes us time to suss out Slimane's various familial relationships.
Jonathan F. Richards, Film.com
Time stretches out to the limits of endurance, Slimane's and ours, and there are moments toward the conclusion of this picture when you will want to scream and throw things at the screen, but it's mesmerizing. When it does end, suddenly, it feels a little
Dan Zak, Washington Post
A ponderous tragedy about put-upon manhood? A verite snoop into cultures that are sexually mingled but publicly uneasy? A pill to be swallowed in the name of serious filmgoing? Maybe all of these.
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
The Secret of the Grain takes one man, his children, their spouses and babies, his ex-wife, his girlfriend, her daughter, and his friends and turns it all into a masterpiece about the strange power of food -- to heal, unite, exasperate.
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
Rather than observing this family, we feel we are part of it, and that draws us in as nothing else can.
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
The wonderful thing about Hafsia Herzi in The Secret of the Grain...is the way she and the character tiptoe around the story's edges for a while, taking their time and easing onto the audience's radar.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A beautifully painted portrait of everyday Arab immigrant life in France among a large dysfunctional family.
Sean Axmaker, Seanax.com
... a magnificent journey through culture and family and community.
Christopher Long, Movie Metropolis
Many great suspense sequences have been built around props: a bomb under the table, explosives in the back of the truck, a nuclear launch code. And now couscous.
Joseph Jon Lanthier, Slant Magazine
As much about see-food as seafood, The Secret of the Grain is as close to a contemporary fable as we have, and on Blu-ray, life appears to flower from every sexily exposed navel.
Peter Canavese, Groucho Reviews
When the film, as it must, comes to an end after two and a half hours, you won't be ready; the bond made to this family makes its sudden absence feel downright brutal. [Blu-ray]
Jeffrey Overstreet, Looking Closer
Secret of the Grain may be the most ambitious, complex, and suspenseful film about a feast ever to be served at the movies.
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix
A dark and hilarious parable of human absurdity.
Jeff Vice, Deseret News, Salt Lake City
Despite some strong performances from the mostly amateur cast, as well as some intriguing insights into family dysfunctions and racial prejudice, the movie still comes across as being self-indulgent and at least a little disappointing.
Stan Hall, Oregonian
Everyone figures in a masterfully paced final act that's hypnotic, genuinely suspenseful and emotionally complex.
Michael Sragow, Baltimore Sun
Writer-director Abdel Kechiche has wrought a definitive statement on how it feels to live in a subculture.
Bob Strauss, Los Angeles Daily News
A long but always engaging movie, intimately framed and exuberantly acted by a mixed cast of amateurs and professionals.
Scott Foundas, L.A. Weekly
The French-Tunisian director Abdellatif Kechiche is that rare thing at the movies these days: an intelligent humanist.

Read all 18 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Daniel P

A very good film that I almost turned off 40 minutes in. I'm very glad I didn't, the ending alone is worth sticking it out for. Aside from the over-long exposition, La Graine et le Mulet is a film that is really, really interesting to think about after watching it, as it… More
A very good film that I almost turned off 40 minutes in. I'm very glad I didn't, the ending alone is worth sticking it out for. Aside from the over-long exposition, La Graine et le Mulet is a film that is really, really interesting to think about after watching it, as it tells a story of one family finding its place in its adopted homeland. It's very hard to summarize the story without ruining the drama, but suffice to say that Claude Berri plays into stereotypes very well, and over the course of the film turns you for and against his protagonists very easily. I think this film is meant to expose the viewer's pre-conceived notions and make you question yourself: if you're French and happen to be a little xenophobic, you'll see it very differently than if you're an immigrant to France from North Africa... and if you're a neutral Canadian like me? It's an eye-opener to a variety of discrimination that's generally not seen here, and a good film to watch for that reason. The movie's a bit on the long side, but all in all it is worth sticking it out for enjoyable and poignant second half.
Sheldon C

An intimate invitation into the lives of a French-Arab family, THE SECRET OF THE GRAIN is a long and complex drama that reveals multiple aspects of familial relationships by utilizing various dynamics that reflect its characters' emotions without the need to overly express. Abdel… More
An intimate invitation into the lives of a French-Arab family, THE SECRET OF THE GRAIN is a long and complex drama that reveals multiple aspects of familial relationships by utilizing various dynamics that reflect its characters' emotions without the need to overly express. Abdel Kechiche's film features performances from its large ensemble cast that are impressive, natural, and always believable, as well as a story that builds gradually and effectively before reaching an abrupt but satisfying climax. Shot entirely hand-held, the film's visual style places us right next to the family members as they eat, argue, converse, and panic as if we were included in their small community. In doing so, Kechiche has crafted a film that is both intricate and genuine - one that never feels long and is subtly riveting til the very end.
Mark A

What an incredible experience! A quiet, very dignified man, Slimane (Habib Boufares), a Turkish immigrant to this southern port city in France, pursues his dream after getting laid off at the job he has held for 35 years. He buys an old hulk of a boat and converts it to a couscous… More
What an incredible experience! A quiet, very dignified man, Slimane (Habib Boufares), a Turkish immigrant to this southern port city in France, pursues his dream after getting laid off at the job he has held for 35 years. He buys an old hulk of a boat and converts it to a couscous restaurant. Helping him to realize his dream is as varied a cast of characters as one could ever hope for. Hafsia Herzi is stunning as Rym, the daughter of the woman he now lives with and the person who most believes in him. She definitely goes on this viewer's watch list. I want to see more of her! Slimane's family is a noisy, fractious bunch that includes several grown children and their spouses who gather at their mother's house for Sunday dinners. The conversation flows freely and one instantly feels a part of the bonhomie. At two and a half hours, it runs long, but even so, it never seems to drag. The emotions are intense, the story compelling, the frustrations of swimming against the cultural tide are palpable and the heroic dignity of Slimane makes this a superb view into this community.
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]In "The Secret of the Grain," Slimane Beiji(Habib Boufares) is a 61-year old laid-off dockworker, living with his girlfriend Lafita(Mohamed Karaoui) in her hotel. He is so estranged from his family that he does not even attend Sunday dinner. At a… More
[font=Century Gothic]In "The Secret of the Grain," Slimane Beiji(Habib Boufares) is a 61-year old laid-off dockworker, living with his girlfriend Lafita(Mohamed Karaoui) in her hotel. He is so estranged from his family that he does not even attend Sunday dinner. At a crossroads in his life, he decides to open a floating restaurant with the help of Lafita's daughter Rym(Hafsia Herzi), with his ex-wife Souad(Bouraouia Marzouk) making her signature couscous.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"The Secret of the Grain" is an engaging movie that has much to say on the nature of family and insight into the immigrant experience and what they bring to their host country. But like any quality dish, there can be too much of a good thing, especially with a structure that is a little off, giving too much time to setting up the plot and not enough to the individual members of the family. And while I enjoy epic feasts on film as much as any other cinephile, the one in this film is served with contrivance upon contrivance upon contrivance, topped off with a healthy dose of cliche.[/font]
Chris B

If you are a fan of intimate and personal family dramas then this is a great and complex portrayal of a modern day family and all the relationships and choices that go into family life. The film is filled with great performances and intimately filmed to make you feel like part of the… More
If you are a fan of intimate and personal family dramas then this is a great and complex portrayal of a modern day family and all the relationships and choices that go into family life. The film is filled with great performances and intimately filmed to make you feel like part of the family as you get to go behind closed doors and into the most personal of details. The film is deliberately paced and while many American audiences won't be patient enough for this, it is well worth investing the time to see! The ending to the film leaves things still in motion and potentially another life altering event occurs before the film simply ends leaving the family to finish the service and deal with their own future.
Lesley N

Two and a half hours of the ins-and-outs of a dozen or so Arab family members , including parents, offspring , husbands, wives and an ex-wife, in a fishing port in France. A LOT of talking, and a little bit of doing, and the plot moves at a snails pace to its denouement. It was… More
Two and a half hours of the ins-and-outs of a dozen or so Arab family members , including parents, offspring , husbands, wives and an ex-wife, in a fishing port in France. A LOT of talking, and a little bit of doing, and the plot moves at a snails pace to its denouement. It was interesting to see a different culture within a different culture, and the slow development of the relationships between everyone had a charm, in particular with the main character and his step-daughter. But like most foodie films, a lot of time was spent with large groups of people, sitting around talking, especially while eating dinner, and of course, there was the elaborate built-up for the Big Feast. A lot of people love this kind of stuff (and why shouldn?t they) but as a hardened toast-eater-with-a-nose-in-a-book , I found it just TOO slow.
Sarah B

This film isn't for everyone as it moves at a snail's pace, nothing seems to happen until the end and it's basically all talk. However it is a very realistic, naturalistic and simplistic yet complex portrayal of families, immigrants and fractured relationships. The… More
This film isn't for everyone as it moves at a snail's pace, nothing seems to happen until the end and it's basically all talk. However it is a very realistic, naturalistic and simplistic yet complex portrayal of families, immigrants and fractured relationships. The acting is universally brilliant, especially the stepdaughter and the main man; it seems like the weight of the world is on his shoulders, the pain of the world is in his eyes and the experience of the world can be seen in every crease on his face. He and the film will get under your skin, if you have the patience.