Excuse My French

Amr Salama's 2014 Egyptian film rests on the director's own experience at school. Hani is the son of a well-off Christian family; when his father dies the private school becomes unaffordable and he is put into a state school. Because of a misunderstanding at enrolment everyone takes him for a Muslim, and he chooses not to correct it, keeping the lie up to make life in class easier. The film describes discrimination not through big scenes but through small moments in the classroom: who sits where, who is sent out of which lesson and the language the teacher uses. The humour is plentiful and the child actors natural. The production was rejected repeatedly by the Egyptian censorship board and could only be released after the board changed. Who it's for: viewers who like Egyptian cinema and school stories. Who it's not for: anyone expecting a deep look at the question; the film finds its resolution in the world of children.