A Season in France

The film takes place in 2016 and follows the journey of Abbas Mahadjir, a French teacher from the Central African Republic. Together with his family, including his brother, he narrowly escaped the brutal civil wars ravaging his homeland. The haunting memory of his wife, who tragically lost her life during their perilous flight, continues to overshadow him. Now residing in the suburbs of Paris, he strives to provide for his two young children, Asma and Yacine (Aalayna Lys and Ibrahim Burama Darboe), as they navigate their new lives in a foreign land and go to school.

To support his family, Abbas works at a bustling fruit and flower market, but his life remains unstable as he bounces between borrowed and rented living spaces. In the midst of this chaos, he encounters Carole (Sandrine Bonnaire), a talented florist of Polish descent, and begins to form a poignant relationship with her.

However, their hopes for a stable future come crashing down when Abbas’s asylum application is denied by the OFPRA (Office français de protection des réfugiés et apatrides). Undeterred, he decides to appeal the decision, but when that, too, is rejected, he faces an ‘obligation to leave’ notice with merely 30 days to vacate. Suddenly jobless and without a permanent home, Abbas and his children find refuge with Carole as their situation grows increasingly dire. Tragedy strikes again when Abbas’s brother, a former philosophy lecturer, faces a similar fate with his own asylum request. In despair, he self-immolates in the immigration office, ultimately succumbing to his injuries.

As the 30-day deadline approaches, Abbas finds himself engulfed in unbearable distress. Despite having the option to file one last appeal with the administrative tribunal’s chairman, he instead chooses to flee, prioritizing his children’s safety. The situation escalates when the police summon Carole to their station, warning her of the consequences that accompany her support for Abbas and his family. In a desperate bid for freedom, Abbas disappears with his children, leaving no trace. Carole, heartbroken, searches for any sign of them in the Calais Jungle migrant camp, but her efforts are in vain as the camp has been cleared just hours before her arrival.

Last Updated: November 15, 2024 at 17:39