What changed?


After watching this film my friend and I tried to figure out what changed her husband's attitude toward his mother and Zouzina. Did her French widow friend tell him something that made him feel differently? Was it coming home and finding her not there--and the children were gone also? Or had his mom finally passed some unknown limit so that he started to discount her criticism?

The abuse earlier in the film was very hard to watch.

It helped me understand the sometimes disjointed character of the film when I realized that it was one of the children's recollection of events that we see.

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I had wondered the same thing. It almost seemed as though an entire scene or two was missing to explain the abrubt change in attitude of her husband.

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The title of the movie sounds like "God willing, on Sunday." Is this the correct interpretation?

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You are correct sir. Very good guess, though why the director choose to use this is unclear; i can't really see what context he meant to place it in.

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Wasn't Sunday the only day that Zouina could leave her house? I.e. the day that her bastard of a husband and his fat harridan mother went into the country to buy sheep.

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I was initially disappointed as we never saw an intimacy between the husband and wife after being seperated after 10 years. There was never any discussion between them.

I also felt there was a scene missing or more abuse was coming when the grocer finally wants to collect his unpaid bill which must have been adding up? Hubby said he wanted the change from the 10 francs and the bill came to 34 so she walked out of store owing 24 francs just in that one trip alone.
We never saw any closure to that problem that would have been coming at some point.

But still not sure about why he changed his mind. In many cultures, I still think mama would have still ruled the roost and the poor wife still would have been abused.

I also was expecting the poor neighbours garden to become a total mess when the sheep arrived and think we missed out on that for sure. And that would have been nobodys fault other than papa's.

In many ways I keep thinking of "The Namesake", somewhat similar as in bringing the wife over to a different culture and her having to find her own way in the new land, but totally different as husband and wife truly love each other as I dont think this was the case in this film.

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Well the mother-in-law stated that they had been waiting for four hours, I didn't realize that she had been riding around with the bus driver for that long. So I'm assuming that her husband thought she had taken his kids and left him.

I didn't understand the other Algerian womans reaction to her.

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I felt that the other Algerian woman had reacted to her new surroundings by trying to focus on her religion so that she wouldn't be contaminated by the French around her. Perhaps she had come to France at a time when the strangeness of France was too hard to bear. Perhaps she had been much more religious than Zouina before she left Algeria. For one of these, or another reason she took the attitude that she was in danger and clung to a very strict interpretation of what she believed the proper conduct was in a land of infidels.

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Perhaps she also disapproved of Zouina's willingness to integrate into French society. By listening to the radio she was developing an understanding and interest of the French views on sexuality and love. Malika perhaps reacted so badly because she found it unacceptable to integrate, as many Algerian women believed the family regroupment was only temporary and they should maintain their cultural traditions and religion until they returned to their homeland.

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It seemed that there was a clash of cultures, with Zouina, it seems as though she integrated into French life, hence the showing of both her and her next door neighbour listening to the radio program and her trying on the make-up. However, the Algerian belief was to be a part of none of this. Hence, Malika, is ashamed of this, it's shown when she asks where her husband is.

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"I didn't understand the other Algerian womans reaction to her."

Huh???? She was obviously in the same boat. Her bags were still piled up against a wall after 15 years in France. She probably thought that Zouina's transgressive behavior would bring down the wrath of her, similarly abusive husband, upon her head. She hinted that her husband was a backward wack-job in that he had promised his young daughter in marriage to a cousin of his, presumably back in Algeria.

Now that I think about it, didn't she say something to the effect of (I have enough troubles already and now you want to get me killed.) This was her response to Zouina having asked if she keeps things from her own husband. That would explain why she stood at the door wringing her hands and crying while Zouina cried out to her from the street. She had compassion for her, but she was literally afraid for her life.

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I don't think the husband hated Zouina or was set on beating her to death if/when she returned. I think he was a fairly good man. He was a loving father and didn't treat Zouina horribly most of the time...except when he was beating her. He did think she had done terrible things in both those cases ("lifting up her skirt to here!" I doubt he ever learned the whole story...) So I think his physical abuse of Zouina was because of that harpy of a mother-in-law and his culture. He actually seemed sad when she was crying for her mother in her room when the family first arrived. There's practically no physical or emotional intimacy between them though (I'd guess it was an arranged marriage) so he didn't know how to console her. When he realized Zouina and the kids were gone, I'd imagine he was thinking things like "My mother harrasses her and I beat her, no wonder she took off with my children" and he really does care for his children, so he'd be very relieved to see her come back. And then his mother opens her big mouth again. So I think his change of heart was plausible.

Regarding the other Algerian woman, Malika, I also think her reaction was mostly "Radio, sex, what?! We don't talk about these sinful things!" and was afraid Zouina would get her in trouble. More importantly, Zouina realized at this point how different she was from other Algerian women. This and her bus ride show her progressing along the path Nicole was nudging her onto and becoming more independent.

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well first, i don't understand the husband's change of attitude toward his wife and his mother.

but i think malika originally (15 years ago) was in the same boat as zouina and felt the same way, but she was beaten down and 'taught her place' long ago. even now she is in a precarious situation since she has provided no sons. i think malika is 'towing the line'. they could have should have been the best of friends, but malika doesn't have the spirit to try.

this movie almost feels like a pilot to a tv show there are so many unfinished story lines. that's not necessarily bad. some movies are like that. i do want to know what happened about the grocery bill, and how they would prevent people taking advantage of a lack of communication in for the future.

also how did the flower show go? and will mint take over both yards? lol.

i liked this move although it was hard to watch at several points. the characters were great. although i too missed there being any love in the marriage.

another good movie along similar lines is Cafe Transit (2005) http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0477585/

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Was there even a flower show? To me, the French neighbor seemed to be suffering from the early stages of dementia, as evidenced by the way her husband was treating her/talking to her.

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that makes sense

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I never felt the husband was comfortable with his mothers hard hand about his wife. I felt he was scared of her himself. So what I think changed is that he saw he can trust his wife. The woman with the book about Algeria and how she and the kids treated her dog, the women in the taxi they all gave him the strength to go against his mother I never thought he did not trust his wife, he was really afraid of his mother. And she was showed to be trustworthy and he finally got fed up with the mother. Can you imagine what she was saying about her in those 4 hours. I am not sure what was going on with that bus driver, but I think he was friends with the husband and he saw she did nothing. Also the way the husband was regarded at the store. I think he was ok but terrified by the mother.

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