The Secret of the Grain (La Graine et le mulet) (NR)

synopsis

This film tells the story of Slimane, a sixty-something North African immigrant who has just been laid off after a lifetime's toil at a shipyard in the French Mediterranean port of Sète. Against considerable odds, Slimane determines to realise his long-held dream of opening a couscous restaurant, but to do so must rally the support of his extended family including his ex-wife, children, mistress and her hot-headed daughter. Eventually the make-or-break opening night arrives and the scene is set for a dramatic and nail-bitingly tense finalé.