Si tu meurs, je te tue

In a Parisian bar, a hard-boiled egg brings together a Frenchman named Philippe, who has just been released from prison, and a Kurd named Avdal, who claims to be in Europe on the trail of an Iraqi war criminal. But fate has other plans for their friendship. A pizza seller tells Philippe: “Kurds don’t die of natural causes – it’s chemical weapons, cancer, or exile.” Six Kurdish brothers arrive on the scene, as do Avdal’s beautiful fiancée Siba and his devout father Cheto. This black comedy about love, death, sorrow, and forgiveness presents established themes such as life in the diaspora, the clash of civilizations, the coexistence of cultures, patriarchal morality, nationalism, faith, women’s emancipation, honor killings, and the conflict between tradition and modernity, and between rural and city life. But it looks upon them lightly, with nostalgic detachment, a touch of mystery, and a sense of the paradoxical absurdities of existence. The director cast the legendary Mylène Demongeot (The Three Musketeers, Fantômas) in the role of the piano-playing landlady. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)