Class Differences
Amos Lassen | Little Rock, Arkansas | 09/24/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
""Shelter Me"
Class Differences
Amos Lassen
In "Shelter Me" (Wolfe), Anna and Mara arrive home after enjoying a holiday abroad. They discover that Anis, a young Moroccan, hid in the trunk of their car so that he could get across the border and enter Italy. The girls have no idea what to do so they decide to take him with them and Anis finds it easy to establish himself in their lives. For a short time, the three are able to support each other and help in emotional and other ways. However, Anis loses his job and Mara rejects him when she realizes that he has fallen in love with her. At the same time, Anna sees that life with Mara is disintegrating.
The movie is really about personal and interpersonal relationships between two lesbian lovers and how the involvement of a male illegal immigrant brings all their problems to the fore. The deterioration of the women's relationship begins early when Anna, who discovers Anis and does not tell Mara. Anna then assumes all responsibly and this is a hint of what is to come. Anis becomes a pawn between the two women and each of them uses him to show power. There is also the problem of class differences between the women.
The acting throughout is excellent and we find them in a situation from which there is no easy exit. The film deals with trust and how issues can affect it. It is easy to find the characters believable as they are both engaging and vulnerable. The film is not a resolved fully but you may not realize it because of the gorgeous cinematography
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