8:30 p.m.	Two Ladies Philippe Faucon (France, 2007)

(Dans la vie). Kosher-cooking Muslims and Koran-reading Jews typify the surprising culture clashes that complicate and enliven the contemporary France of Philippe Faucon’s exquisitely observed drama. Fiercely independent Sélima, a dedicated Arab nurse who ignores her patients’ racist comments, takes a job caring for sharp-tongued, wheelchair-bound widow Esther, whose Jewish upbringing in Algeria and adulthood in a multicultural French neighborhood have hardened her suspicions of those outside the tribe. Sizing up Esther as a tough cookie requiring more attention than the harried nurse herself can offer, Sélima appeals to her unusually open-minded mother, Halima, to assist with daycare. Thrown together out of mutual need—Esther craves home-cooked meals and a peer to put up with her complaints, while Halima can use the extra cash to fund her long-planned pilgrimage to Mecca—the pair overcomes personal and political differences to form an unlikely bond. Faucon traces their complex relationship with a light directorial touch, deftly avoiding what might otherwise have been a pedantic polemic pitting religious fundamentalism against secular freedom. His approach, like that of his leading ladies, is thoughtful and evenhanded, as in a memorable scene in which a group of veiled women gaze with a mixture of disapproval and envy at topless sunbathers. Esther and Halima ultimately bring out the best in one another; their mutual admiration, like Faucon’s film, puts a fresh spin on that confounding law of physics and friendships: opposites attract.

—Steve Jenkins

• Written by Faucon, Amel Amani, William Karel. Photographed by Laurent Fénart. With Sabrina Ben Abdallah, Ariane Jacquot, Zohra Mouffok, Hocine Nini. (73 mins)

With short:
Thick Skinned (Jean-Bernard Marlin, Benoit Rambourg, France, 2007). A tense psychological drama about a working-class youth who, to impress his father and friends, terrorizes another kid with near disastrous results. (14 mins)

• (Total time: 87 mins)