DESCRIPTION:
Film: Paris Je t'aime [2006]
Sequence: Place des Fêtes
Director: Oliwer Schmitz
Screenwriter: Oliwer Schmitz
Editor: Isabel Meier
Cinematographer: Michel Amathieu
Cast: Aïssa Maïga [Sophie], Seydou Boro [Hassan]
Cast: Walid Afkir, Vincent Verdier, Georges Thibaut
Cast: Adel Bencherif, Jean-Christophe Barc etc.

Song by Seydou Boro - "Katoucha"
Film version:
https://soundcloud.com/allhoursmag/10-seydou-boro-katoucha
Album version:
http://www.seydouboro.com/fr/autres_projets_musique.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg015rx6COA

Plot:
With "Place Des Fêtes", we stumble upon an EMT woman - Sophie providing emergency to a Nigerian man - Hassan who was stabbed, and uncovering the romantic flirtation through his demise. We relive him trying to flirt with her, and her ignoring him and politely driving away. Ultimately we see him being fired after he tried to run after her, and being killed. The young woman wants to say something to the guy, but its too late, he passed away.

Analysis:
These short films that comprise "Paris, Je T'aime" all tell stories of love and loving in Paris while confronting different stereotypes and taboo issues others may be afraid to touch. This short clip is example of such. A Nigerian man has just been stabbed and the female paramedic who tends to his wound we later learn is a love interest of his whom he met in a parking lot before this scene. As he lays on the ground, wincing in pain, he asks the young woman if he can massage her feet. This opening dialogue is a cultural commentary and stereotypes because sometimes men who try to pick up women in bars or other public places will often drop corny lines on their prey such as "Baby, you look tired because you've been running through my mind all day/night." Following this mini-dialogue is a close-up of the young man's face as he grimaces in pain, finally realizing the seriousness of his injury. The camera blacks out three times, flashing back to when he first came to town square for medical attention. The camera fluctuates between these close-up eye line match cuts and shots over Sophie's shoulder. It then pans back and forth on close-ups of their faces, reflecting the intensity of the mood as she tries to remember his face and where she knows him from. The only sounds heard in this short piece (which are diegetic) are coming from his voice as he sings the song that he sang when he first saw her in attempts of jogging her memory. This segment is crucial to the short film because while it confronts cultural stereotypes, the pace of the camera movements convey the message that time is precious and sometimes, you don't really know what you have until it is gone.

Lyrics: *
Jarabi katoucha io
Ne jarabi la
We katoucha
Kana ina neko

Um tum biko tu mami
Do tunlo be
Ine mui
Kana ina neko

Ini ne meke lela
Um go no be
We katoucha
Ku yara lilo

Um guoguo katoucha
Um yana modo
Katoucha
Yana gua canto

Um kon elebe fe
Nem ere lela
We katoucha
Kana ina neko

*Thanks to Damian Laguia (-: