The Names of Love (Le nom des gens) by Michel Leclerc (2010, 102 min.). Baya Benmahmoud (Sarah Forestier), a young, extroverted liberal, lives by the old hippie slogan “Make love, not war” and converts right-wing men to her left-wing political causes by sleeping with them. She seduces many and so far has received exceptional results—until she meets Arthur Martin (Jacques Gamblin), a Jewish, middle aged, middle-of-the road scientist. Improbably, but bound by common tragic family histories (the Algerian War and the Holocaust under Vichy), the duo falls in love. Amid the bubbly amour, humorous lasciviousness, and moments of sheer madness, filmmaker Michel Leclerc injects satirical riffs on such hot-button sociopolitical issues as Arab-Jewish relations, anti-Semitism, immigration, and racial and cultural identity. Forestier won the Best Actress Award and Leclerc and Baya Kasmi won Best Original Screenplay at this year’s Césars (French Oscars).

Co-presented by The Boston Jewish Film Festival.

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