17 rue Bleue

Based on a true story, Chad Chenouga’s heart wrenching coming-of-age drama is about Algerian immigrants coming to terms with the unforgiving Paris of the 1960s. All seems well at first, with young and vivacious mother Adda coddling and spoiling her two young, fatherless boys, but her easy life as a comfortable mistress to a rich man crashes at the family’s feet after his unexpected death. Now the trio much fight for their claim to his money, fight the xenophobia of their country’s society, and fight simply to grow up, go to school, find love, and lives their lives. The boys must learn and face a responsibility beyond their years as they have to care for their single and increasingly distraught mother. This story of the loving intimacy and dedication of a single family strikes a powerful cord in a world that may not be much different forty years later.