Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Highly Overrated But Still Good

The acting in this movie is really good.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Baya, whose name reminds everyone of Bahia, in Brazil, is a rebellious young woman; she does not mix her words, she likes to equate anything resembling right wing as fascist, a term that is a favorite of most people on the left side of politics. She has a strong reason for being that way; she comes from parents that are half Algerian and half French with strong leanings to the left. She is a rebel who was abused by a pedophile, a man posing himself as a piano teacher. Baya has grown up to be an independent soul believing in having sex on the first date.Arthur Martin, whose mother was Jewish at birth, is an avian expert who is not heavily into controversy. He gets rattled when a furious Baya irrupts in the studio where he is being interviewed about avian flu and other viruses. In Baya's mind, Arthur Martin, whose name is the same as a brand of popular stoves in France, he nothing but a fascist with his theories about the dangers of being exposed to all the dangers carried by birds.It is almost inevitable these two would meet as they both are attracted to each other. Baya is vocal in her ways, while Arthur is more reserved. Baya suffers from being absent minded. She also wears inappropriate clothes that reveal her breast if she does the wrong kind of movement. She is easily distracted to the point of going into the Paris metro completely naked and not realizing it, until a Muslim man, sitting opposite her, is clearly shocked by her nakedness."Les nom des gens", directed and co-written by Michel Leclerc and Baya Kasmi, is a different film from France, with strong political, as well as romantic ideas. We saw it when it first opened commercially at the Sunshine, and on second viewing, we found it even better than the first time. M. Leclerc's film takes us through the backgrounds of all the players and what made them the way they turned out to be. It is a film that fires theories and ideas in rapid fashion, something that works well within the context of what the director was looking for.The best thing in the film is Sarah Forestier whose take on Baya is disarmingly frank. One can only think about how difficult it must have been for this actress to do some of the things the screenplay demanded of her. It might have been embarrassing as well for her to follow what was expected of her. No wonder she was given the precious Cesar for best actress. It is a bold approach to acting, something quite unique. Ms. Forestier gives one of the most courageous renditions for an actress in recent memory.Jacques Gamblin, on the other hand, plays the more quieter Arthur with good sense of what was wanted of him. His Arthur is a quiet individual whose dull life is shattered with the appearance of the intense presence of Baya. M. Gamblin keeps getting better and better with each new film. The wonderful supporting cast includes Carole Franck, Michele Moretti, Jacques Boudet and Zinedine Soualem.

You will never change your political opponents' minds by arguing with them, but what if you have sex with them? Baya Benmahmoud (Sara Forestier) lives her life by this mantra. She is an ultra-leftwing idealist who sleeps with right wing fascists to convert them politically. She even keeps a scrapbook of her successful conversions; most of them are now some sort of shepherd. While listening to bird-flu expert Arthur Martin (Jacques Gamblin) in a radio station one day, Baya bursts through the studio's door and argues with him on the air that if you can't trust ducks, then what is this world coming to? This is a very amusing argument and also makes for a humorous lead character introduction.Any other film, such as an American one, would construct Arthur as a rock solid conservative and make it Baya's quest to convert him. Ah, but this is an intelligent French film. Arthur is a socialist and while not nearly as leftwing as Baya, he proudly states he voted for Lionel Jospin. A warning: if you do not know who Lionel Jospin is, you will miss an amazing and funny scene. The Names of Love takes a sharp turn from where the film was leading the audience. It is not a romantic comedy, well, not all the way. Much screen time is devoted to Baya and Arthur's respective families and to what extent they identify themselves as French citizens.Baya's father is from Algeria and vividly remembers the French Army shooting many of his relatives in the war. Her mother is a hippie who thinks everything non-French is fascinating which is why she marries a man with the last name Benmahmoud. Arthur's folks at first appear to be the exact opposite of the first couple and are shown boring and set in their specific way of life. However, there is a lingering secret past with Arthur's mother which is not necessarily hidden from view, but takes on more of a role as the film progresses.The Names of Love starts out at a fast clip with both leading characters taking their turns talking directly into the camera about their youths and where they imagine themselves on the political spectrum. After a half hour or so, this starts to taper off and a more somber and contemplative mood takes over what was almost a comedic farce. Arthur and Baya are shown interacting with each other's unfamiliar cultures and testing their respective boundaries. The script is whip smart and expects a lot from its audience, especially from its non-French audience. I give a high mark to how intelligent and probing this film is, but be wary of the shift from light comedy to more serious introspection.

I just saw this film and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's difficult to create a sexy laugh-out-loud comedy with quirky characters who fall in love that also intelligently and subtly considers complicated political differences on volatile subjects such as Jews, Arabs, Muslims, immigration, animal cruelty, bird flu, sexual abuse, fascists, and the Holocaust. I know it sounds like a bizarre combination but once you see the film, you will understand and appreciate the pleasure of it. It's quite an achievement that the filmmakers were able to maintain the hilarity and high level of political discourse all the way through while adding poignant elements to the story as well. Bravo to all involved, I was quite impressed.The only other film I can think of that can be compared to this is the Billy Wilder film One, Two, Three that's set in Berlin during the Cold War and has a capitalist and a communist falling in love with the help of the girl's reluctant guardian, a Coca Cola executive who pretends the communist is the son of an Old World aristocrat so the girl's parents don't freak out.But the Wilder film is more of a broad farce and doesn't have any poignancy to it. The Names of Love is much sweeter and more authentic in a real life way, which is more difficult to do well.

I watched the film (dubbed into German) yesterday in Berlin and this is by far the most beautiful movie, I've seen in decades! An excellent cast, an outstanding script, breathtaking photography and direction and great music makes watching 'Le nom des gens' a lifetime experience!! You can cry, you can laugh, you can think about your own family's past and you can remember a lot of the things that happened in the film from your own life!! Once again did the French prove, that they are the only filmmakers out there, who have the sense for that 'certain something'! When the credits appear, you feel like you have to watch the film over and over again.