Free Men

Ferroukhi evokes the unusual setting of his film, the Arab community in war-time Paris, with specificity and brooding atmosphere.
-- Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix

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Free Men

In German-occupied Paris, a young unemployed Algerian named Younes (played by break-out star Tahar Rahim) earns his living as a black marketeer. Arrested by the French police but given a chance to avoid jail, Younes agrees to spy on the Paris Mosque. The police suspect the Mosque authorities, including its rector Ben Ghabrit, of aiding Muslim Resistance agents and helping North African Jews by giving them false certificates. At the Mosque, Younes meets the Algerian singer Salim Halali, and is moved by Salim's beautiful voice and strong personality. When Younes discovers that Salim is Jewish, he stops collaborating with the police and gradually transforms from a politically ignorant immigrant into a fully-fledged freedom fighter.

Official Selection - Cannes Int'l Film Festival
Official Selection - Toronto Int'l Film Festival

"[Tahar Rahim] has an undeniable screen presence that recalls a young Robert DeNiro [and] Lonsdale is, like always, a pleasure to watch."
– Jordan Mintzner, The Hollywood Reporter

"An eye-opener! An absorbing drama… that engages both the heart and the mind."
- Allan Hunter, Screen Daily
Not Rated
Genre
Thriller/Suspense, War, Drama
Runtime
99
Language
French
Director
Ismaël Ferroukhi
Writer(s)
Ismaël Ferroukhi
Cast
Tahar Rahim, Mahmoud Shalaby
FEATURED REVIEW
Andy Klein, Christian Science Monitor

During the Nazi occupation of Paris, Si Kaddour Ben Ghabrit (veteran character actor Michael Lonsdale), rector of Paris's Grand Mosque, provides fake Muslim papers to help Jews escape to North Africa. The police are suspicious and force Younes (Tahar Rahim), an Algerian black marketeer, to spy on ...

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