A Few Days of Respite (2011)

Plot Summary

Mohsen teaches French at the University of Tehran, and Hassan is a photographer. Mohsen and Hassan are also lovers, and in Iran they live in fear, as homosexuality is punishable by death. Tired of denying their love, Mohsen and Hassan flee Iran to head to Paris, where they'll be illegal aliens but can at least live openly as a couple. To avoid arousing suspicion until they arrive in Paris, Mohsen and Hassan keep their distance while traveling, and during a train stop, Mohsen helps a sixty-ish women, Yolande, with her luggage. The two strike up a conversation and she clearly enjoys his company; over dinner, she offers to help him find work in town and let him stay at her apartment. It's clear to Yolande that Mohsen is an illegal immigrant, but she doesn't realize that he's gay, and he finds himself wondering if he should stay with Hassan or live with Yolande, where he would not have love but would enjoy safety, security and could easily become a French citizen through marriage.

Full Cast & Characters

Marina Vlady

Yolande

Amor Hakkar

Moshen

Samir Guesmi

Hassan

Shimon Ben Lulu

People smuggler

Yves Grenard

Old man on the tracks

Stéphanie Saliège

Pianist

Sarah Hakkar

Little girl at the station

Kim Nezzar

Little girl's father

Wahila Aïb

Little girl's mother

Julia Rousseau

SNCF ticket office clerk

Noël Bourdin

Taxi driver Andelot

Jonathan Meyer

SNCF controller

Director & Crew

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