Parisienne

“Everything is ugly,” writes 18-year-old Lina after being prompted by her art history professor to list what she finds grotesque. It’s 1993 and Lina recently moved from Lebanon to Paris to live with her aunt and uncle and attend university. But the transition has been less than smooth. After her lascivious uncle makes a pass at her, Lina decides to navigate the streets of Paris on her own. Without a residency permit and with little to no money, she drifts between friends’ apartments and a dismal women’s shelter, while being swept into affairs with a string of Parisian men—from philandering Jean-Marc, to directionless Julien, to activist Rafaël. Still, despite the challenges she faces in a country ambivalent towards its immigrants, she remains fearless, knowing she can never return to Lebanon. In her semi-autobiographical film PARISIENNE, writer-director Danielle Arbid captures the awkward, uncomfortable, and enlightening experiences of a young woman trying to find both herself and a place to call home. (In French with subtitles) –E.B.