Satin Rouge

Thematically a bit reminiscent of Luis Bunuel's Belle de Jour, the peculiar Satin Rouge stars Hiam Abbass as Lilia, a repressed single mother who becomes a belly dancer in a cabaret by night. To add odd to peculiar, she also takes up with the musician who's the secret lover of her young daughter (Lilia's venturing out into the streets in the first place was to find out where the mildly rebellious girl was spending her time). By the movie's close, Lilia has become a seasoned woman of the world, not only scandalizing her conservative neighbors, but also apparently just fine with the fact that the man she's recently bedded is about to marry her daughter; indeed, she struts her stuff at the wedding reception. As directed by Raja Amari, the picture is more like a 1940s Joan Crawford vehicle, however, than anything resembling Bunuel's sharp satire. Ultimately, even though Abbass transforms herself skillfully from a dowdy housewife to a liberated woman, Satin Rouge stands out more as a curiosity--a florid Hollywood women's picture re-imagined in an exotic locale. Optional. [Note: DVD extras include a text bio and interview with writer-director Raja Amari, a liner note essay on the origins of belly dancing, and a trailer. Bottom line: a skimpy extras package for a so-so film.] (F. Swietek)