Three Dancing Slaves (Le Clan) (2004)

43% of critics liked it
(14 reviews)
58% of users liked it
(1,001 ratings)

Three French-Algerian brothers deal with their grief following the death of their mother in their own different ways in this drama. Marc (Nicolas Cazale) is a angry and confused young man obsessed with drugs, working out, and capoeira, a Brazilian martial arts discipline. The only friendship that… More Three French-Algerian brothers deal with their grief following the death of their mother in their own different ways in this drama. Marc (Nicolas Cazale) is a angry and confused young man obsessed with drugs, working out, and capoeira, a Brazilian martial arts discipline. The only friendship that makes Marc feel secure is his relationship with his dog, and when Marc falls behind in his payments to his drug connection Montana (Nicolas Paz), the dealer takes revenge in an especially painful manner. Christophe (Stephane Rideau), Marc's older brother, has just completed a stay in prison and is trying to put his life back together through hard work and capoeira while urging Marc to stay on the straight and narrow. However, Christophe is unable to convince his father (Bruno Lochet) to forgive him for falling to the wrong side of the law while his mother was dying. And Olivier (Thomas Dumerchez), the youngest of the three siblings, feels lost amidst the agony and mourning of his household until he becomes involved with Marc's friend Hicham (Salim Kechiouche), who teaches him the finer points of capoeira and allows him to accept his homosexual nature. Le Clan was released in the United States as Three Dancing Slaves, a reference to the dance-oriented art of capoeira. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 28 min.
Directed By: Gaël Morel
Written By: Gaël Morel
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Aug 26, 2005 Wide
On DVD: Dec 13, 2005
Studio: TLA Releasing

Critic Reviews

Neva Chonin, San Francisco Chronicle
A luscious yet ultimately empty film.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Although graceful and dynamic, Three Dancing Slaves is none too substantial or original.
Dana Stevens, New York Times
It seems to take place in a vacuum, a dreamlike world of shirtless, well-muscled boys and darkly moody interiors.
Dennis Lim, Village Voice
This lulling, banal, and rather pleasant film cultivates a mood of zone-out voyeurism.
Don Willmott, Filmcritic.com
this France is full-frontal.
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
Rumble Fish as directed by François Ozon.
Randy Shulman, Metro Weekly (Washington, DC)
Imagine a Jean Daniel Cadinot porn without the explicit sex...and chances are you have a pretty good idea of what sitting through this drama from Gael Morel is like.
David Noh, Film Journal International
Morel[...]will shamelessly go anywhere to elicit intense viewer response.
Ernest Hardy, L.A. Weekly
[The film] is most successful if viewed as a glossy video-log of a men's trendy lifestyle photo shoot.
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
Earthy, tough and very masculine ... although it never quite comes together in a meaningful way
Gabriel Shanks, Mixed Reviews
Darkly rich in character and mood, provocative in intent...but ultimately foiled by inattention to its own story.
Jonathan Trout, BBC
A loving, photographic study of beautiful, bored, alienated masculinity.
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
Nothing but a stills gallery, a theatrical trailer, and promos for other TLA Releasing titles.