This is an extremely well-made and intimate look at a Tunisian family living in France. The story focuses on Ismael, and his little brother Mouloud. Their strong, intense bond is the centerpiece of the film. Ismael lives with a crushing pain and guilt over his handicapped brother, Nouredine, who died in a fire while he was out. The two boys leave their home in Paris, and travel to Marseilles, hoping to start over. But problems catch up with them when they move in with their uncle and his own wife and son, Rhida. Temptations of the street, as well as the sexy girl who seduces the young Ismael into an affair. she is the girlfriend of his new-found French companion, and this adds to the guilt he already is carrying inside him. It doesn't help that his best friend's father and brother are racists against Arabs living in "their country."
"Bye-Bye" is a very effective portrait of family bonds, as well as a look at racism and life for Arabs living inside France. Atmospheric and gritty, dark; but not without it's spots of humor and optimism. The performances from the cast of beautiful actors is all around impressive, and this film marks the debut of the French Algerian actor, Ouassini Embarek, who is somewhat well-known inside France. People have tried to compare this film to Hector Babenco's "Pixote," but this is not a fair or accurate comparison. This is a film about family bonds; these are not displaced/homeless kids. They have families and are loved and cared for. Their problems don't arise from poverty, but from cultural clashes that make their lives a struggle. This is a worthy and important work, in the tradition of films by Andre Techine, another French filmmaker who deals with the similar theme of young French Arabs and their struggle to find their identity in a foreign land.
