Salvation Army

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Salvation Army

2013

1h 22m

Drama

LGBTQ+

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

77%

Tomatometer

13 Reviews

42%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

In Casablanca, a gay teenager tries to build a life within his large family while dealing with his authoritarian mother and older brother.

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Zeba Blay

Shadow and Act

01/23/2017

It's hard to pinpoint exactly where director Abdellah Taia's Salvation Army goes wrong, mostly because it had so much going for it to begin with.

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Ben Kenigsberg

New York Times

01/22/2015

For a film rooted in a personal story, "Salvation Army" feels awfully remote.

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Inkoo Kang

Village Voice

01/21/2015

Writer-turned-filmmaker Abdellah Taïa's lovely and elliptical adaptation of his autobiographical novel about growing up gay, effeminate, and powerless in Morocco.

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David Walsh

World Socialist Web Site

02/14/2021

In its moving treatment of oppression, loneliness and exile ... the film deserves special mention.

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David Lamble

Bay Area Reporter

06/23/2020

...benevolent but still painful...

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Steve Erickson

Gay City News

03/09/2018

[Director Abdellah] Taïa, whose book fleshes out his story more completely, has adapted it into a subtle film with less explication but no less power.

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12/24/2015

I am moroccan myself and this movie was so spot-on in depicting certains traditions and cultural aspects that I was brought up with, it made me laugh. Some dialogues, however, are so cringeworthy. It was just bad. So was the ending.

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09/07/2015

Not bad but I am going to have to read the actual book.

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04/23/2015

No wonder famous authors and vagabonds such as Tony Duvert, William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg were drawn to Northern Africa. Said Mrini practically melts the screen as a young gay Moroccan eager for sex and a path out of the rigid Muslim society by emigrating to Switzerland. Author Director Abdellah Taia creates a powerful movie based on his autobiography.

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01/24/2015

Unfortunately, one might need a better understanding of Moroccan culture and lifestyles to better understand this film.

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Abdellah Taia

Director

Amine Naji

Slimane

Said Mrini

Abdellah jeune

Karim Ait M'hand

Abdellah adulte

Frederic Landenberg

Jean

Malika El Hamaoui

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Synopsis

In Casablanca, a gay teenager tries to build a life within his large family while dealing with his authoritarian mother and older brother.

Director: Abdellah Taia
Producer: Hugues Charbonneau, Marie-Ange Luciani, Philippe Martin
Screenwriter: Abdellah Taia
Genre: Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: Canadian French
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 30, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.4K
Runtime: 1h 22m