
In a poor Arab neighborhood, the nineteen years old Chimo lives alone with his mother and is a talented natural writer. His school teacher offers him the chance to study in Paris, inclusive with a letter of recommendation, but his mother can not afford and Chimo stays. His three best friends are completely losers and scoundrels. When the shy Chimo meets the gorgeous and sexy new-arrival in the ghetto Lila, who lives with a deranged aunt, his gross friend Mouloud falls for her... (Full plot summary below)
Enjoy FREE movies and series with your Prime (USA) subscription or when you start a 30-day free trial!
Links compiled using automated software. Availability of offers subject to change / might be region specific / out of date.
In a poor Arab neighborhood, the nineteen years old Chimo lives alone with his mother and is a talented natural writer. His school teacher offers him the chance to study in Paris, inclusive with a letter of recommendation, but his mother can not afford and Chimo stays. His three best friends are completely losers and scoundrels. When the shy Chimo meets the gorgeous and sexy new-arrival in the ghetto Lila, who lives with a deranged aunt, his gross friend Mouloud falls for her. However, Chimo becomes close to Lila, who seduces him with her sexual games, telling him about her perverted sexual experience. The inexperienced Chimo falls in love for her, but he does not know how to declare his love for the girl. When Mouloud sneaks and listens to a private conversation between Lila and Chimo, he concludes that the girl is a whore, with tragic consequences.
Leave your thoughts about Lila Says.
| Cinema SignalsJules BrennerIt's not so much that Giocante breaks new ground for candidness about sex, but that she does it with such dazzling and vital force. |
| CompuserveHarvey S. KartenA solid, visual exploration of an adolescent's sexual fantasies. |
| Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean AxmakerThis coming-of-age tale is ultimately about self, not sex. |
| Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanLila, played by Vahina Giocante, who resembles a sexed-up young Emma Thompson, is a teasing, 16-year-old blond baby doll with a gleam of perception beyond her years. |
| New York PostKyle SmithLebanon-born director Ziad Doueiri, a camera operator on Quentin Tarantino's films, has a dreamy, fluid style he decorates with light electronic sounds -- from bands like Air -- that give this film more than a touch of youthful poetry. |
| Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittSuperbly acted, especially by Giocante as the teasing 16-year-old instigator. |
| Washington PostMichael O'SullivanStartlingly erotic and surprisingly moving. |
| Chicago ReaderJ.R. JonesBoth lead actors are wonderful, and director Ziad Doueiri (West Beirut) artfully addresses the cultural and even spiritual dimensions of the story without losing sight of the lovers' tenderness and confusion. |
| OregonianMarc MohanIt doesn't take an awareness of the ethnic and cultural differences between the miniskirted siren and the shy Arab youth to see that she might be more than he can handle. |
| San Francisco ChronicleJonathan CurielDoueiri sprinkles Lila Says with moments of humor and violence -- a mix that keeps the film fresh and unpredictable. |