Lila Says 2005

Chimo, a nineteen-year-old self-proclaimed loser living in an Arab ghetto in post-9/11 Marseille, struggles with unemployment and self-worth. Despite showing real talent as a writer, he neglects a free opportunity to attend a writers’ school in Paris, choosing instead to pass his days aimlessly among other disillusioned peers. His life takes a turn when he becomes infatuated with Lila, a striking sixteen-year-old played by Vahina Giocante, who moves into the neighborhood with her peculiar and abusive aunt. Lila embodies a “bad girl” image, flaunting her sexuality, and their complex relationship begins when she daringly invites him to look up her skirt while swinging.

As their romance develops, tension escalates when Mouloud, Chimo’s best friend and self-appointed leader of their group, also pursues Lila. His obsession leads him to harass her relentlessly, making it impossible for her to walk the streets unbothered. Chimo’s growing disgust for Mouloud’s vile treatment of Lila creates a significant divide between the two friends. Mouloud, feeling betrayed by Chimo’s changing feelings and Lila’s ambivalence, unleashes his fury by assaulting both Lila and her aunt, ultimately resulting in a traumatic violation of Lila, which devastates Chimo.

Shattered by the revelation that Lila had been a virgin all along—contrary to her flood of fabricated sexual escapades—Chimo discovers her scrapbook filled with fictitious tales. When Lila’s aunt decides to take her away, Chimo is left with a heart full of sorrow. In a moment of desperation, he convinces a police detective to let him call Lila, where he simply utters “I love you,” to which she responds, “I know.”

In the aftermath of this painful experience, Chimo begins to find solace in his writing, channeling his emotions into words. Eventually, he achieves the writing scholarship he once dismissed, presenting him with the chance to escape the confines of his troubled environment and pursue his education among Paris’s elite. Lila’s presence transforms Chimo’s existence just as profoundly as his changes impacted hers.