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	Monsieur Ibrahim
	François Dupeyron Omar Sharif, Pierre Boulanger, Isabelle Adjani, Gilbert Melki, Isabelle Renauld, Lola Naymark, Anne Suarez, Mata Gabin, Céline Samie 2003		There's a measure of sentiment in "Monsieur Ibrahim"; there's also bitter to offset the sweet. This intriguing, often touching drama, set in the vital, hopeful, anything go-go's Paris of the early '60s, is a simultaneous coming-of-age, coming-together and coming-to-grips-with-mortality story from writer/director François Dupeyron. Young Momo, an adolescent Jewish boy, is virtually abandoned by his clinically-depressed father. Luckily for Momo, neighborhood grocer Monsieur Ibrahim — a wise Muslim gentleman in his sunset years — is there to mentor him across an intimidating cultural divide. It's a delicate time for Momo, who's consumed by his sexual awakening and fixated on the local streetwalkers. Although the lad is overwhelmed by his urges, Ibrahim, serving as a surrogate parent, helps him find balance. Ex-romantic leading man Omar Sharif ("Dr. Zhivago") plays Ibrahim and, at 71, gives a delicately shaded, compassionate performance. Despite cutting back on acting in his later years, Sharif has gotten better with age. The perfect counterpoint is Pierre Boulanger, mischievous, adorable and heart-tugging as Momo. A cameo by alluring Isabelle Adjani, in the role of a movie star shooting a new-wave film up the block from the grocery, heightens the nostalgia. But the affection between Momo and Ibrahim transcends any era.


	Wednesday, November 13, 2024





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