Shaïn Boumedine

After the ode to love of "Loving", the b-side, about sadness, breaks-up, loneliness.

Aissa, a young officer of Algerian origin, tragically loses his life during a fresher initiation ritual at the prestigious French military academy of Saint-Cyr. As the death tears through his family, controversy arises over Aissa’s funeral plans when the Army refuses to take responsibility. Ismael, his older, rebellious brother, tries to keep the family united as they fight to win justice for Aissa.

Victor, in his early 20s, works at the town hall and lives with his girlfriend Charlotte, who is expecting their first child. When an incident happens at the nearby nuclear power plant, he and his high school friends are forced to confine themselves inside a farmhouse, whereas they should have evacuated the area. As the rain is threatening, they are keeping an eye out for the radioactive cloud. The next 24 hours will be crucial.

Because he forgot his identity card, Elias cannot take the entrance exam to Sciences Po. In search of a job while waiting to be able to take the exam again, he becomes an educator in a children's home. Confronted with an environment he doesn't know how to work, Elias doesn't yet know how much this experience will change his life.

Anna only knows the world through the news articles read by her father. One hot summer’s day, she is forced to confront reality.

It's the end of summer vacation for Amin. The young photographer spends cozy evenings with Charlotte, the ex-girlfriend of his Casanova cousin. She talks to him about literature, he photographs her. Nobody knows that they see each other, especially not Ophélie, his childhood friend, who instead confides her troubles to Amin : her father wants her to take over the family farm, her fiancé Clement will return soon from Iraq for their wedding, she is pregnant with Tony’s baby, and Tony wants to keep their affair secret instead of having a serious relationship. Ophélie constantly contemplates her choices : would it be better to get an abortion in secret and marry Clement or to follow her maternal instinct and keep the child, perhaps seeking refuge with Amin in Paris?

Amin, an aspiring screenwriter living in Paris, returns home for the summer, to a fishing village in the South of France. It is a time of reconnecting with his family and his childhood friends. Together with his cousin Tony and his best friend Ophélie, he spends his time between the Tunisian restaurant run by his parents, the local bars and the beaches frequented by girls on holiday. Enchanted by the many female characters who surround him, Amin remains in awe of these summer sirens while his dionysiac cousin throws himself into their carnal delights with euphoria. Armed with his camera and guided by the bright simmer light of the Mediterranean coast, Amin pursues his philosophical quest while gathering inspiration for his screenplays. When it comes to love, only Mektoub (‘destiny' in Arabic) can decide.

It’s the end of summer vacation for Amin. The young photographer spends cozy evenings with Charlotte, the ex-girlfriend of his casanova cousin. She talks to him about literature, he photographs her. Between Amin’s encounters with these women and his dreams of cinema, many choices open up to him.