Film Pick...Lila Says

I really liked this movie, although some aspects of it irked me. Overall though, I think it's interesting and worth seeing.

What's good:

1. It's perfectly cast with some really good performances, especially from main characters Lila (Vahina Giocante) and Chimo (Moa Khouas). The actors that play Chimo's three pals are also excellent.

2. It's an intriguing plot, and it's supposedly a true story by an unknown author. The manuscript was left on a publisher's doorstep, with the author only identifying himself as "Chimo."

Sixteen year old, white Lila moves to an Arab neighborhood in the French city of Marseilles. She forges a friendship with the shy and polite Chimo. They only ever meet in public, and seemingly by chance. Although Lila is clearly following Chimo around, as she consistently appears out of nowhere whenever he's alone and without his posse.

What makes these encounters interesting is Lila's shocking manner of speaking. She talks almost exclusively about sex. Chimo is completely thrown off by this, but also titillated, and hooked. Lila's motive for being so sexually provocative is a mystery. Is she a bored thrill-seeker with an overactive imagination? Is she a nymphomaniac? Does she have genuine feelings for Chimo? Or is she just plain nuts?

3. It's beautifully filmed and the setting is a neighborhood of magnificent, crumbling, architectural masterpieces.

What's bad:

1. Aspects of the ending either don't make sense or are just really stupid. I won't go into detail because it will spoil the plot.

2. Some of the final scenes are so poorly directed that it almost ruins the whole movie. It felt like they started filming before they really figured out how to make the ending work. Like maybe they were rushed for time and/or running out of money.