Underplayed Gems

Excuse my French (2014)

Excuse my French poster
Original title
لا مؤاخذة
Directed by
Amr Salama
Genre
comedy film
Country
Egypt
Runtime
1h 39m
Rated
16
Rating
7.1 of 10 from 30 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

A bright Egyptian student who is Christian pretends to be Muslim at a new public school after his father dies. The film follows his attempts to fit in and the problems that arise when his secret comes out.

lightheartedtensethoughtfulwarmplayfulunevenhonestbittersweet

What happens

Excuse My French or Excuse Me (Arabic: لا مؤاخذة) is a 2014 Egyptian film comedy directed by Amr Salama, based on Salama's own experiences at a public middle school in Egypt after his return from Saudi Arabia. Excuse My French (La Moakhza) is Salama's third feature, a movie that stirred considerable controversy during its release in 2014. The film was rejected by censors more than three times before it was finally released at the beginning of this year. Hany is a bright student, has many friends, likes to go to church and adores his father. With his father’s unexpected death, his mother can no longer afford the expenses of private school, and is forced to send him to public school. There, Hany is mistakenly presumed Muslim, and uses this situation to his advantage. However, when the truth is revealed, he must face a myriad of unforeseen problems. This turbulent comedy about religious and class differences humorously and boldly addresses critical issues in Egypt. The film was initially deemed too sensitive by the censorship board and Salama was forced to adjust the script while trying to preserve the film's core concept of religious discrimination. Even after the changes, though, the censors refused the film again in 2010, claiming that it would fuel sectarian strife and that it did not reflect behaviours that exist in Egyptian society. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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