Hard Shell, Soft Shell

AVAILABLE TO RENT FOR ONE WEEK!
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 @ 12:00am PDT → THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 @ 11:59pm PDT

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Emma Benestan, film editor for Palme d’Or winner Abdellatif Kechiche, makes an exhilarating feature debut with the fresh, fun and feminist romantic comedy Hard Shell, Soft Shell, starring a new generation of French actresses and actors representative of France’s diversity.

Azzedine (Yasin Houicha), nickamed Az, is a romantic twentysomething oyster farmer of North-African descent. He thinks he has the perfect way to propose to his girlfriend, rising TV actress Jess (Tiphaine Daviot): a fresh oyster with an engagement ring on top! But Jess is starving after a long day at work and doesn’t stop to look before she pops the oyster in her mouth. She manages not to choke, but tells Az she wants to pause their relationship.

Az is a sensitive guy who doesn’t take the news lightly. He is surrounded by women: his mom, grandmother, and older sister, who all try to help while gently making fun of his heartache. His close band of friends also tries to cheer him up but it doesn’t work until Lila (Oulaya Amamra), who is back in town after a few years in Paris, recovering from a break-up herself, convinces Az that he can win his girlfriend back by dazzling her with a dance performance.

A sunny and feminist romance that takes place in Sète on the Mediterranean Sea, this film has adorable characters and plenty of laughs. A breath of fresh air.

This film is part of Young French Cinema, a program of Unifrance and Villa Albertine.

Reviews

First feature film directed by a native of Sète, “Hard Shell, Soft Shell” amazes with its way of approaching serious subjects - the end of love, the questioning of masculinity, social differences – through humor. Renaud Baronian - Le Parisien

Not Rated (all audiences).

Original Title: Fragile