our selection of 4 films released in December

“Mehdi’s Little Kitchen” by Amine Adjina,

Comedy, 1h44, in theaters since December 10.

A hotplate lights up and we are caught up, contemplating these gestures which make the pans crackle. Mehdi, chef at the bistro The spiel in Lyon, prepares a lobster bisque velouté. With Léa, his girlfriend who works in the restaurant, he is preparing to buy Bernard’s restaurant, gently portrayed by Gustave Kervern. At the table, Léa’s parents watch as their daughter flits from one table to another. Suddenly, Fazia, Mehdi’s sister appears.

This is the start of trouble for our brilliant cook. This intrusion into his work space troubles him. Because until now he had compartmentalized his life: on one side, his love story with Léa and her restaurant, on the other, his family of Algerian origin in which he plays the role of the perfect son. It’s his way of protecting Fatima, his mother, always on the verge of a nervous breakdown since the death of his father “who killed himself at the task”.

Accurately interpreted by Younès Boucif, noticed in the series “Funny” on Netflix, this melancholic hero with magnetic charm, tossed between two universes, will have to face his truth. Will he introduce Léa to her mother and finally assume her dual identity? This elegant comedy humorously addresses the question of exile and transmission. Coming from the theater, the Franco-Algerian director Amine Adjina, drew from his own history the narrative framework of this intimate and warm first feature film, carried by colorful characters. Tasty.

Isabelle Chouffet

Our opinion: PPP