Monsieur Ibrahim (2003)

Some crowded Parisian atmosphere and the burnished presence of Omar Sharif make this coming-of-age tale a pleasure. It's the early 1960s, and an adolescent Jewish boy (Pierre Boulanger), mostly left to his own devices by an ineffectual father, makes friends with the worldly wise Persian man (Sharif) who runs a small neighborhood grocery. The kid's fumbling experiences with sexual curiosity are the reliable stuff of many a French movie, but the unlikely friendship of young Jew and old Muslim make for an offbeat through-line. Francois Dupeyron's film shifts gears in its final section, moving from its flavorful location and into the wide-open spaces, and it goes on too long with too many pieces of advice. But overall this is a warm and winning experience, with Omar Sharif holding an instructive class in the power of understated movie-star charisma. --Robert Horton Amazon.com

Sufism in Monsieur Ibrahim

This movie describes the Sufi master and disciple relationship convincingly and entertainingly. It reveals that labels have no meaning if one discovers the essence of things, which is one. The local Arab grocer (Omar Sharif as Ibrahim) is not really an Arab, just like Moses (portrayed by Pierre Boulanger), a Jew, when he assumes the local Arab grocer identity in the footsteps of his Sufi master/adopted father at the ending. In the trip to Turkey, the Orthodox Church, Christian Church and a mosque is differentiated only by the sense of smell. The prostitutes have a purer heart than the "innocent" girl that Moses falls in love with as she two-times him. Sufism is not bound by legal dogma but by the inner truth that transcends all labels, similar to other spiritual practices. It is not a sect of Islam but just a mystical branch of the religion.

One gets the first hint of Ibrahim's Sufi sheikh/spiritual master approach when he "reads" Moses's mind by telling him that he is not an Arab. This intuitive knowledge is depicted throughout the movie, where Ibrahim seems to dispense advice and guide Moses with just the right touch. The lights of their hearts communicated on an intuitive and spiritual plane, requiring few words but registering complete understanding. Wisdom from Ibrahim's heart shines upon the pure, receptive and sincere love Moses has for his adopted father to maintain the Sufi-like bond of mystical love. The sheikh leaves when the disciple is ready to grow on his own.
April 16, 2008

Beautifully nuanced performances

What a gem. Sixteen-year-old boy Moise (known as Momo) lives in a working-class Jewish district of Paris in the 1960s. He looks after his selfish, depressive father, a man who is never satisfied by anything Momo is or does. Abandoned by his mother as a small child, Momo has never known parental love or kindness, so he seeks womanly tenderness from the prostitutes who work the streets of his neighborhood, and he filches money from his father so he can afford to buy some pleasure. He's sullen and quiet, with no real friends and no one to help him learn about life's possibilities and love's responsibilities.

Momo makes daily visits to the local grocery owned by Monsieur Ibrahim (Omar Sharif), a Turkish Sufi who seems to know more about what is in Momo's heart than should be possible. The two strike up a friendship, and Monsieur Ibrahim teaches Momo about loving kindness, about how to make himself more appealing to others so he can get what he wants out of life, about enjoying the world and the people in it. It could have been a paint-by-numbers sort of coming-of-age story, but instead the interactions feel very real and subtle, and Sharif's performance is extraordinary. He brings a real joie de vivre to the role, but in a quiet, understated fashion. Monsieur Ibrahim is a nonjudgmental, spiritual man who finds beauty in his Koran and keeps that beauty in his heart at all times, and his connection with this drifting young Jewish man gives Momo's life meaning and roots while still broadening his horizons, both literally and figuratively.

The religions of the two characters impact the story very little. Momo and his father appear to be secular Jews, and Monsieur Ibrahim's Sufi Muslim beliefs are important to him but are flexible and nonjudgmental enough to allow him to show kindness and appreciation for prostitutes, as well as a desire and willingness to understand the beauty in other religions' houses of worship, to which he takes Momo on field trips.

Omar Sharif gives a performance of such subtlety and beauty here; he was perfectly cast in the role and he brought much of his own personal experience to it. I always think of Sharif in his blockbuster days, from "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Doctor Zhivago" and "Funny Girl," in which he gave fine and capable performances, but none of which allowed him moments of introspection. His international playboy persona made it hard for me to believe him capable of the sort of intimate gestures and nuanced emotions that flash across his face in this role. The DVD commentary by Sharif is thoughtful and articulate as well, and offers a whole new perspective on the man. This film was a very pleasing surprise. December 6, 2007

I definitely recommend it.

I've always had a bit of resistance to watching foreign films, but this one was so much fun it didn't matter it was in a different language. The opening scene starts with a 16 year old Parisian boy breaking his piggy bank to have his first experience with a prostitute... and it goes on from there. It ends up being a sweet film about an unusual friendship between the boy and the old man who owns the local grocery store. It's a very enjoyable film, with well executed cinematography. I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a lively fun movie to watch.

June 10, 2007

C'est un film qui est vraiment super!!!!

I first saw this film when it first came out. Years later, when I became a French teacher, I knew I had to purchase it either to show my students in class or at a French Club meeting at a public New York City high school. I have certainly got my money's worth and great pleasure from the film by showing it over and over again. The kids adore Moises for his imperfections, his wit and his loveable charm and personality. They revere Ibrahim for his ability to love Moises unconditionally and teach him self worth. Many would love to adopt him as one of their own relatives and role models. To find out for sure if this movie is suited to your liking, just scroll down and read Lisa D's review. Lisa was a former student of mine several years ago, a published writer, and she really knew how to get to the core of this sensational movie when putting it into words for a class assignment. Monsieur Ibrahim is probably my favorite movie to be found in my extensive French movie collection. May 27, 2007

Blinded by Sharif's smile

Many reviewers seem to rate Monsieur Ibrahim highly because of Omar Sharif's smiling presence. This has caused them to overlook, however, the film's canyon-sized plot holes and overarching sentimentality.

I agree that the film has its good points: the scenery (Parisian street scenes and apartments, the Turkish countryside), the music and, to a lesser degree, Sharif's performance (when it avoids ladling on the syrup). And certain individual scenes work well.

Now for the questions:
Who is the father, and why is he such a miserable human being?
Why did the mother leave? More important, why does she briefly come back?
Is there a brother, or not?
Is there a Holocaust angle? If not, why? Or why keep it completely oblique?
From what planet were the beautiful, sweet, happy prostitutes imported?
Does the boy have no peers to rely on (or be corrupted by)?
Should a lonely old shopkeeper be thought of as the best and only source of wisdom for a 16-year-old boy?
Even if that wisdom doesn't rise above the level of what Forrest Gump would say?
If this is supposed to be the early 1960s, why did the word "Algeria" not come up in conversation?

For some, these questions will be irrelevant, however, given the chance to see an aging Omar Sharif on the screen. For others, beware. March 6, 2007

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