Café au lait

Literally and figuratively, one of the freshest, most original French releases of the Ô90s, this liberated and intriguing cultural comedy scores on every front. Felix (Mathieu Kassovitz) is a surly, hapless Jewish bicycle courier. Jamal (Hubert Koundi) is a rich, pampered black Muslim studying at the university. Both young men are involved with Indian beauty Lola (Julie Mauduech) who turns up pregnant. She wants to have the baby, and decides to indefinitely postpone choosing between the two men. When the two find out about each other, they initially clash, but later realize they must cooperate in order to nurse Lola through her pregnancy. They all shack up together, and await the baby. Mathieu Kassovitz has been called the Jewish Spike Lee because of his vibrant, kinetic visual style, and indeed the film seems to owe a bit to SHEÕS GOTTA HAVE IT, but Kassovitz has enough of his own creativity to carry things through in a unique way. He fashions a quirky, realistic, strikingly filmed story, underscored by some undeniably ballsy French hip-hop music. A real winner.