A Tale of Love and Desire

“It’s an edifying and introspective film, with something valuable to say about embracing our most carnal impulses without shame.”
Lovia Gyarkye — The Hollywood Reporter

“Warm, passionate, and sexy in a well-read kind of way.”
Lee Marshall — Screen Daily

“Carried by a duo of actors who are very well cast and full of character, the film hides under its appearances as a classical coming-of-age story, a great originality, and several levels of social readings, at the intersection of instinct and reflection, repression and liberation.”
Fabien Lemercier — Cineuropa

"A Tale of Love and Desire is a film that celebrates the joy and fears associated with youthful lust, while exploring the internal cultural conflict, without making it feel tacky or like a diatribe.”
Amber Wilkinson — Eye for Film

“[The movie] not only excels at what it sets out to do, but also leaves its audience rapt and aching for more.”
Sofia Andrade — The Harvard Crimson

“For all of the film’s modernity, it’s also a reminder that love and desire are timeless struggles in stories; Bouzid is merely telling the twenty-first century version of them.”
Alex Heeney — Seventh Row

“Leyla Bouzid's tour de force is her authentic portrayal of the many meanings of being Arab in France.”
Valentine Fabre — Bust Magazine

“A sensitive and contemplative romance that combines intellect and simmering passion.”
Katie Smith — Flick Feast

“We tend to see quite a few of those awkward first fumblings, those early embarrassments, those clumsy hormonal attempts at seduction. But rarely are they outlined with the same sincerity and sweetness as in Leyla Bouzid’s tactile, unashamedly tender A Tale of Love and Desire.”
Jessica Kiang — Variety