Zoooma Moroccan film, brilliantly powerful, about life of the streets for three young abandoned/runaway boys who wish to honor their dead friend by giving him a proper burial. This is not Humphrey Bogart's Casablanca; this is quite a bleak life for these kids. They sniff glue and try not to rejoin a brutal gang they want no part of. They try to avoid being raped... but sometimes it happens. Yet they have the will to survive. Depressing as it might be, the movie still has warmth and is extremely engaging. The boys' performances are out of this world good and the cinematography drew me in and never let me go. I do hope I will be watching this one again one day.8.3 / 10 stars--Zoooma, a Kat Pirate Screener

museumofdave When I hear some petulant tot in the Safeway market candy section whining because he can't have two candy bars, I want to plop the spoiled child in front of this film for about five minutes, which would be quite enough.Director Ayouch mixes elements of children's stark gang life in modern day Casablanca with the hallucinatory dreams they have, and he creates a harsh and vivid tale built around three close pals who decide they must give their most recently murdered friend a decent burial--he was, after all their Prince, their leader, their compatriot. This may not sound like the stuff movie dreams are made of, and its not exactly a cheerer-upper, but the young actors are astoundingly real--and sometimes quite funny--and the willing viewer can be transported to another world within a world unlike anything you might find in IowaThis is memorable film-making, examining a particular time and place-- in this case the Middle East--for it's universal elements; it isn't anywhere near the sweetness and light of The Sound of Music, but is perhaps a more honest immersion in human behavior.

Boba_Fett1138 This movie is very easy to like. It's foreign, it's independent, about poverty and kids living on the streets and with actors in it that seem to be non-professionals. It's the sort of movie film festivals will love to show and while I have no problem at all with this sort of movies, I have to be fair and say that this movie really wasn't all that special to watch.It's not making a big or important enough impact with anything. If this movie wanted to show the hard life of Moroccan kids, living on the streets in the big city, this movie surely failed at that. It's really not showing all that much of the problems and difficulties and this movie also surely isn't providing any answers or solutions to anything. You would expect this movie to make a statement about at least something but it really doesn't ever do so.But also if the movie wanted to be like a random slice of life, it just isn't a good enough movie. The characters aren't all that interesting or likable and the story is lacking any good or interesting developments. There is no real conflict in this movie and after finishing it, you just don't have the feeling at all, that any of the characters had gone through any transition or anything for any of them had changed. You could say that it's a movie about nothing and it's going nowhere really. Or at least nowhere interesting or compelling enough.I must admit that it was also mostly due to the actors that I just could never really get into the movie. To be frank, they were quite horrible at times. I'm pretty sure of it that non of these kids were actors and none of them had any form of experience yet. They mostly annoyed me, while the kids were still supposed to be the heart and center of the movie and it was important to really like them and care about them.It's not a horrible movie, or a terribly done one but it just is one that isn't doing anything good or interesting with its story and its a lacking a good main premise, drama, characters and emotions. Really nothing all that special, though some people still obviously love it.6/10 http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

peterbakkers Only seldom have I seen a movie that's so realistic. It definitely has an enlighting influence on ones mind. The way you look at the world really does change after seeing those poor and yet so, in a heart-touching way, funny streetchildren. One of my top ten movies, I assure you !!