“Ibrahim”: The ode to fatherly love by actor Samir Guesmi – 20 minutes
- For his first film, actor Samir Gasmi evokes the difficult relationship between a hardworking father and his son ready to fall into delinquency.
- This work steeped in humanity had received the Cannes 2020 label.
- It reveals Abdel Bendaher, a very promising young actor.
Samir Guesmi is not only a great actor, seen in particular with Solveig Anspach, Nicole Garcia or Hafzia Herzi. He reveals beautiful qualities of filmmaker with Ibrahim, his first feature film presented under the Cannes 2020 label.
He directs himself in the title role, that of a discreet and dignified man, scale in a chic Parisian district. His teenage son, played by Abdel Bendaher who is making impressive screen debuts, is on the verge of falling into delinquency. It’s a tragedy for this gentleman who doesn’t want any fuss, but who will have to manage the situation.
Like a caress
“All my characters are faced with the harshness of life”, specifies Samir Guesmi in the press kit. However, there is nothing miserable in this beautiful film to describe the life of “little people” with remarkable modesty. Nothing goes any more between a mature man who tries to instill good values in his offspring and the latter on the verge of slipping by following a comrade.
Samir Guesmi describes this without insisting, by letting his characters gently occupy the screen in a Paris wonderfully illuminated by the director of photography Cécile Bozon. “What my characters lack are not speeches, but a caress on the face”, insists Samir Guesmi. The final, overwhelming scene remedies this lack of tenderness. It is emblematic of the humanity that surrounds this work, revealing beautiful staging qualities.