Drole De Felix Reviews

Tres Droles

A surprisingly upbeat and feel good movie centering around Felix, a young, gay, HIV positive, French arab. He hitch-hikes across France to meet his father for the first time, and the film tells the story of the people he meets along the way. His meeting with 'the grandmother' is particularly good.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Offbeat, slightly frustrating and very French (but fun)

This is a typically 'arty' French film (in a mild way), which leaves a lot of untied strings at the end, which may put off some viewers.

But the acting (as is so often the case) is of a quality that leaves Hollywood standing, as is the basic concept, and the complexity of the story and its motivations are charming in a way seldom found in American movies.

You may not believe in this narrative, but it's certainly entertaining and definitely worth a couple of hours' watching.

Really nice!

Felix (Sami Bouajili) is a young, gay French Arab who decides to travel south from Normandy to Marseilles in search of the father who abandoned him before he was born. His journey (mainly by hitchhiking but also by slightly less legal means) forms the bulk of the film's storyline, combined with a handful of characters who become brief but important parts of his life.

I really enjoyed this movie, which showed many aspects of Felix's life, without being judgemental, and really nicely filmed, along with a very excellent job of 'acting' by Sami Bouajili.

Light hearted, but touching on various themes, and moving fairly quickly even though slow paced in time.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Well worth featuring at the TOP of your selection! We watched it TWICE!

An excellent and thought-provoking journey through the different people and places encompassing a man,s life.Only down-side is the incomplete ending.

Felix is a young gay Arab from Normandy,who embarks on a journey of discoverey during a trip from the north to the south (Marseille) of France.His encounters on the way are likened to members of his own family-the ultimate goal to meet his 'pere' in Marseille.

A politically sophisticated movie-vastly removed from the usual Hollywood box-office hype.A breath of fresh air in a banal movie world.

Well worth the effort of overcoming the different language-excellent subtitling being provided.

Whether you are gay or not-this film will truly have wide appeal to those with open minds.

Will Make You Feel Good

It's not often that a character's HIV statue is given about as much focus in a movie as the colour of his shirt. It's just not relevant to Felix's life, and it's wonderful to see such a positive way of tackling that issue.

But then this whole film is positive, and will leave you with a really good feeling about life in general. It's a movie about what is important in life, and that's not money or status. It's the people we meet, the way we interact with them, how much we are willing to give to receive.

In one scene, Felix demonstrates how he can summon the sun on a cloudy day. I believe him. The sun came out for me as I watched this movie.

Give it a go. Gay or straight I defy you not to be immensely cheered.

A breath of fresh air...

From the opening moments to the warmth of its finale, Drole de Felix delivers on so many levels. Sami Bouajili gives a brilliant performance laced with honesty and vitality, capturing superbly the mixture of toughness and vulnerability of Felix. Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau create a feast of visual and verbal set pieces. A moving, hilarious and very sexy masterpiece.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Felix is a Pick Me Up!

A pleasant and charming film which will endear you to your family (direct or indirect). This film is about young Felix and the journey he takes as he looks for his long absent father. En route we meet, through a series of excellent sub-plots, members of Felix's would be family. We taste a little French family life, we suffer a little French prejudice, we get very friendly with a cousin and then we end up in Marseilles as planned. What happens there - you'll see. The plot was desparately thin at times - there is a weak murder sub-plot which dilutes the impact of the film - but I enjoyed the acting, the pace, the music and the central performance of Felix very much. I particularly enjoyed 'mon grandmere' - it struck me as acutely French! Watch this film if you want to watch a [gay] film which doesn't present gay or straight stereotypes and leaves you smiling.

Delightful

I loved this lowkey but very uplifting film. Felix, a young gay Arab from Normandy goes on a journey of self discovery to trace the father who abandoned him and his mother 20 years earlier. Along the way he finds the things that truly matter in life, the family we make for ourselves, friends & lovers, the people we meet and how we interact with them. I particularly liked grandmere Mathilde, and the philosophical fisherman who finally delivers Felix to Marseilles. What really impressed me was that Felix is HIV+ but it's just one small part of his life and identifies him less than his ethnicity. Everyone he meets is changed in some way by their encounter. Felix is a special person. He shows Mathilde his power to bring out the sun, and that sums up this engaging film. The actors are excellent, even the small parts like the eager young boy who picks him up in Chartres. Felix is so natural you'd expect to find him hitching by the side of the road for real.

Watch the whole film

After half an hour I nearly gave up on this film - I'm glad that I didn't. It is an endearing story about a young Frenchman travelling through France and about the people he meets on the way. Don't expect a life changing film, just a pleasant way of whiling away 91 minutes.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Jolly Little Film

An jolly and amiable little road movie, well acted and nicely shot. All the 'family' encounters are very nicely done and interesting. A great film to enjoy and unwind with.