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You Resemble Me

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2021 film
You Resemble Me
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDina Amer
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyOmar Mullick
Edited by
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed byWILLA
Release dates
  • September 8, 2021 (2021-09-08) (Venice)
  • November 4, 2022 (2022-11-04) (United States)
Running time90 minutes
Countries
  • United States
  • France
  • Egypt
Box office$69,760

You Resemble Me is a 2021 internationally co-produced drama film, directed by Dina Amer in her directorial debut, from a screenplay by Amer and Omar Mullick. It stars Lorenza Grimaudo, Ilonna Grimaudo, Mouna Soualem, Sabrina Ouazani, Dina Amer, Alexandre Gonin, Grégoire Colin and Zinedine Soualem. Spike Lee, Spike Jonze, Riz Ahmed, Alma Har'el, and Claire Denis serve as executive producers on the film.

It had its world premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival in the Venice Days section on September 8, 2021. It was released in the United States on November 4, 2022.

Plot

When two sisters are torn apart, the eldest struggles to find her identity.

Cast

  • Lorenza Grimaudo as Young Hasna
  • Ilonna Grimaudo as Young Mariam
  • Mouna Soualem as Adult Hasna
  • Sabrina Ouazani as Adult Hasna #2
  • Dina Amer as Adult Hasna #3
  • Alexandre Gonin as Abdelhamid
  • Grégoire Colin as Foster Father
  • Zinedine Soualem as Army Officer
  • Agnès de Tyssandier as Foster Mother
  • Sana Sri as Amina

Production

Development

Dina Amer worked as a reporter for Vice News and reported on the 2015 Saint-Denis raid, in which it was later found that the police report that Hasna Aït Boulahcen was a suicide bomber was false. Amer felt complicit in spreading the narrative, and wanted to look into her further. Boulachen's family was contacted by multiple journalists, but they chose to speak with Amer, who over the course of several years conducting 360 hours of interviews, with Boulahcen's family and friends, to write the screenplay and make it as accurate as possible. Amer wanted the film not to excuse Boulahcen's choice, but to explore radicalization and how she got there and prevent others from falling into the same traps. Amer walked away from a deal with Amazon Studios in order to maintain her vision, as the studio preferred for the film to be a documentary.

Casting

For the role of younger Hasna and her sister, Mariam, the process of "street casting" was used to find real-life sisters Lorenza and Illonna Grimaudo. For the role of Hasna, Amer cast three different actresses, including herself, Mouna Soualem and Sabrina Ouazani. In the news and media, Aït Boulahcen was misrepresented, so Amer wanted to show who she could've been and was by using deep fake technology to allow the audience to experience her switching to find connection and belonging.

Release

It had its world premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival in the Venice Days section on September 8, 2021. Following the film's debut, the filmmakers did not receive a meaningful offer for distribution, with the only option of taking a deal where they would hand over the rights to the film for 10 years, have minor say in the release, and no prospect of financial return. Some distributors "loved" the film, but were scared to release it due to the subject matter. Instead, they decided to self-distribute the film.

It was released in the Middle East in September 2022, by Front Row Filmed Entertainment. It was released in the United States on November 4, 2022. It was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland on February 3, 2023, by Modern Films. In May 2024, La Vingt-Cinquième Heure acquired French distribution rights to the film, with Claire Denis boarding as an executive producer.

Awards

The film has been well received in international film festivals. It won the Audience Award at the Red Sea Festival. It also won an unprecedented four awards at REC Tarragona, including the CineClub Jury Prize, the Young Jury Prize, and the Audience Award.

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 94% of 47 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.90/10. The website's consensus reads: "A haunting look at the roots of radicalization, You Resemble Me wrings harrowing drama out of its fact-based coming-of-age story." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 69 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

References

  1. "Tu Me Ressembles". Venice Days. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  2. "You Resemble Me". Boxmojo. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  3. Keslassy, Elsa (December 7, 2022). "Modern Films to Release Dina Amer's 'You Resemble Me,' Executive Produced by Spike Lee, Spike Jonze, in U.K., Ireland (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  4. Dalton, Ben (July 28, 2021). "The Match Factory boards Venice Giornate degli Autori title 'You Resemble Me' (exclusive)". Screen International. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  5. Schwartz, Drew (September 10, 2021). "Dina Amer on the Troubling, Unforgettable True Story Behind 'You Resemble Me'". Vice. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  6. Younes, Lylla (December 15, 2022). "Filming for Redemption: An Interview with Dina Amer". New Lines Magazine. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  7. Keslassy, Elsa (September 8, 2021). "Dina Amer Deconstructs Radicalization in Venice Days' Bold Feature Debut 'You Resemble Me'". Variety. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  8. Gonzalez, Daisy (October 27, 2022). "The Spotlight: Dina Amer". Free The Work. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  9. "You Resemble Me". The Match Factory. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  10. Berger, Laura (August 31, 2021). "Venice 2021 Women Directors: Meet Dina Amer – "Tu Me Ressembles" ("You Resemble Me")". Womenandhollywood.com. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  11. Chen, Nick (February 2, 2023). "Dina Amer, the filmmaker who turned down a multimillion dollar studio deal". Dazed. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  12. Babiak, Laura (November 18, 2022). "Dina Amer on Her Debut Film, 'You Resemble Me,' a True Story About Radicalization". Observer. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  13. Martin, Rebecca (November 11, 2022). "Dina Amer takes us on a transformative experience in "You Resemble Me," now playing in select theaters". Cinema Femme. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  14. Bradley, Sarah (February 3, 2023). ""I believe people don't choose stories – stories choose people": Dina Amer on You Resemble Me". The Upcoming. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  15. Atallah, Nasri (February 7, 2023). "Dina Amer is a fearless storyteller". Esquire Middle East. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  16. Vivarelli, Nick (July 28, 2021). "Venice Days Unveils Lineup Including 'Madeleine Collins' With 'Benedetta' Star Virginie Efira And Many Debuts". Variety. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  17. Tabbara, Mona (July 28, 2021). "Spike Lee, Spike Jonze executive-produced 'You Resemble Me' in Venice's Giornate degli Autori". Screen International. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  18. Woodward, Elizabeth (November 4, 2022). ""We Had Made This Film Against All Odds… Why Not Take On This Last Chapter of the Film's Journey Ourselves?": You Resemble Me Producer Elizabeth Woodward on Embracing Self-Distribution". Filmmaker. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  19. Amer, Dina (November 4, 2022). ""We are Proving the Market Wrong and Hopefully Inspiring Other Filmmakers": Writer/Director Dina Amer on Bringing You Resemble Me to Screen". Filmmaker. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  20. Khalifa, Basma (April 12, 2023). ""You Resemble Me" Director Dina Amer On Telling The Story of Hasna Ait Boulahcen". Harpers Bazaar Arabia. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  21. "Self Distribution: Producer Elizabeth Woodward + Executive Producer Sean Glass, Moderated by Kyle Greenberg". Film Roundtable. November 20, 2022. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  22. Vivarelli, Nick (September 19, 2022). "Egyptian-American Director Dina Amer's Drama 'You Resemble Me' on Islamic Radicalization Gets Middle East Release Via Front Row (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  23. Ramachandran, Naman (October 21, 2022). "Spike Lee, Spike Jonze, Riz Ahmed, Alma Har'el Produced 'You Resemble Me': Watch First Trailer for Dina Amer's Festival Favorite Film (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  24. "You Resemble Me". Modern Films. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  25. Keslassy, Elsa (December 7, 2022). "Modern Films to Release Dina Amer's 'You Resemble Me,' Executive Produced by Spike Lee, Spike Jonze, in U.K., Ireland (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  26. Vivarelli, Nick (May 31, 2024). "Claire Denis Boards Dina Amer's 'You Resemble Me' as Radicalization Drama Gets French Release (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  27. "Saudi Arabia's Red Sea Film Festival concludes with red carpet and gala awards ceremony". Arab.news. 14 December 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  28. "'Piccolo corpo' se impone en el festival de cine REC, de Tarragona". Elpais.com. 9 December 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  29. "You Resemble Me". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  30. "You Resemble Me". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved February 6, 2023.

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