magnet

The Magnet

3 stars (out of 5)
World cinema is comprised of all sorts of product. Unfortunately sometimes only
certain types of films make it to the USA. The kind of French films that typically
receive release are either comedies or period pieces. Occasionally a gritty, more
realistic film might slip through. That's perhaps the explanation as to how The
Magnet made its way to theaters.
Co-written, co-starring and co-directed by theater performer Kamal Saleh and hip-hop
artist Akhenton (ne Phillippe Fragione), The Magnet unfolds in a section of the French
seaport Marseilles known as Le Panier and focuses on a group of twentysomethings
who pass time chasing women, committing petty thefts, and generally trying to evade
the cops. In this economically depressed neighborhood, there is little legitimate work,
particularly as most of the residents are descended from immigrants from North
Africa, Italy or the Middle East. The film makes clear the subtle and overt prejudice
these men (and by extension, their families) face on a daily basis. They are outsiders
in their own country, discriminated against because of how they look.
While there may be other French-made features that tackle such a touchy issue, few
have played on these shores. The Magnet has the look and feel of a documentary or a
low-budget indie. Some of the performances are less polished than others (for
example, the hip-hop star Akhenton is a bit stiff while Kemal Saleh has a magnetic
and relaxed screen presence). Still one has to admire what these relative novices
have managed to capture on screen.
The Magnet is comprised of related vignettes that have been scored with a killer
soundtrack that includes everyone from Isaac Hayes to Chien de Paille. At first the
episodic nature of the piece leans toward the scattershot and proves slightly difficult
to follow. As the audience is thrust immediately into a scam involving five of the
principals with little background or understanding of who the characters are, it is a bit
off-putting. When the filmmakers do get around to scenes of exposition and the
introduction of the main characters, it still takes a while to sort out who is who and
what their relationships are. It doesn't help that a couple of them appear to be
interchangeable, but that proves to be more of the point. As men, these characters
are used to being judged solely on how they look and talk, rather than on who they
are. Eventually, as the personalities of the individuals crystallize, the audience comes
to know each of them.
As with any of a number of films structured around this archetype, the audience soon
realizes that some, if not all, are not going to survive to the final reel. There is no
enjoyment, however, in considering who will end up in prison (justly or justly) or who
will perish (and how). Not all of the individuals are nice or pleasant, but the
inevitable hardly seems to be a just reward for merely trying to survive.
The writing has a ring of authenticity, but the film's meandering direction and
awkward transitions in the early sections almost sink the film. Once the co-directors
have found their groove, though, the material acquires a fatalistic tone that is
effective. The titular magnet refers to the immigrant neighborhood that holds them
prisoner and continually draws them back no matter what. That it ultimately proves
their undoing is something of a minor tragedy.

MPAA Rating: NONE (sexual situations, profanity, violence)