Drôle de Félix
| Drôle de Félix | |
|---|---|
 original poster | |
| Directed by |
Olivier Ducastel Jaques Martineau |
| Produced by | Philippe Martin |
| Written by |
Olivier Ducastel Jacques Martineau |
| Starring | Sami Bouajila |
| Cinematography | Matthieu Poirot-Delpech |
| Editing by | Sabine Mamou |
| Distributed by | Pyramide Distribution |
| Release dates |
 19 April 2000  15 June 2001 |
| Running time | 95 mins |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
Drôle de Félix (named The Adventures of Felix in English; the title literally means Comedy of Félix or Amazing Félix) is a 2000 French film, a road movie written and directed by Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau. It stars Sami Bouajila as the title character.
Plot
Félix, a young gay man of Arab descent, living in Dieppe, is currently unemployed and HIV positive. While cleaning out the apartment of his recent deceased mother, he discovers that the father he never knew is living in Marseilles. Félix decides to hitchhike south to meet him, promising to see his lover Daniel there five days later.
Carrying with him only a small bag, his HIV medication and a rainbow kite, Félix takes to the road. He witnesses a racist attack and is beaten up by one of the assailants. He is unable, however, to bring himself to report it to the police. Later, Félix encounters a series of people who form an alternative family for him: a young gay man studying art, who Félix teaches to draw, a lone old widow, who shelters him in her house, a handsome railroad worker, with whom he has a brief sexual encounter, a mother of three children by three different fathers, and a kind, middle aged fisherman. As he calls each of these characters "brother", "cousin", "grandmother" and the like, he gradually constructs a sort of family and new understandings of life through this odyssey, no matter whether he actually meets his "true" father at the end of the story.
Félix is haunted by the racist crime he witnessed, in which he learns, the victim died, and in his inability to do anything about it. Stopping at a hotel, he sees the police arresting the murderer. When he arrives at Marseilles, Felix decides not to see his father and goes instead on a romantic holiday to Tunisia with his lover.
Cast
- Sami Bouajila - Félix
- Patachou - Mathilde Firmin
- Ariane Ascaride- Isabelle
- Pierre-Loup Rajot - Daniel
- Charly Sergue - Jules
- Maurice Bénichou - Fisherman
- Philippe Garziano - Railroader
- Didier Mahieu - Friend / Unionist
Rating
The film is not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America. The British Board of Film Classification classified the film as “15” (suitable for individuals 15 or older). It received a rating of “U” (approved for all audiences) by the French Ministry of Culture.