“Shéhérazade,” which premiered recently as part of Critics’ Week at Cannes, is far from your typical love story. The feature film debut from director Jean-Bernard Marlin tells the story of a 17-year-old boy, who is just released from prison and becomes the de-facto pimp to equally young prostitute Shéhérazade, aka Shera. Through the course of the film, the two become very close and as seen in the exclusive clip for the film, they’re bond grows through more unconventional means.
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Our exclusive clip from “Shéhérazade” shows the two main characters involved in a bit of a contentious relationship as they go to visit a guy at a clothing store. When they arrive, they pressure the young guy for their hash, but he refuses. This leads to an altercation and the two main characters running down the streets laughing. It’s a great representation of what is one of the more unique films premiering in Cannes.
Jean-Bernard Marlin gained some notoriety from his short film, “The Runaway,” which won the Golden Bear for best short film at the 2013 Berlin International Film Festival. “Shéhérazade” is his feature-length debut, and the director is calling on his roots for what he describes as more documentary than fictional story. The director grew up in the area in which the film takes place, and he was inspired to make the film based on a true story involving teens involved in a similar pimp/prostitute relationship that was broken up by authorities.
“Shéhérazade” stars Dylan Robert and Kenza Fortas. Robert is a young actor that was hired partially due to the fact that he was in prison himself, previously. Marlin thought that Robert’s experiences would add an additional layer of realism.
As mentioned above, “Shéhérazade” is getting pretty great reviews after its premiere at Cannes, so we hope to hear more about the film coming to the US soon.
Here’s the short synopsis of the film:
Zachary, 17, has just completed his prison sentence. Rejected by his mother, he spends his days hanging around Marseilles’ lower-class neighborhoods. That’s where he meets Sheherazade…
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