Zhivago and Funny Girl. Shard's star has dimmed over the years, and he turns up dapper but unshaven for his interviews. But he is exceedingly kind and generous, with none of the imperiousness that movie stars of earlier generations often display. Although he was impressed with the screenplay by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt (which the French Jewish writer adapt- ed from his autobiographical play), Sharif confesses to an ulterior motive for making Monsieur Ibrahim. "I thought that it was time for me to make my little statement about" the tense state of relations between Jews and Arabs, he says with a chuckle, "because I'm a respected person in the Middle East and the Arab world. I mean, not respected but loved, anyway." Sharif laughs again. "I have some peo- ple who hate me as well, usually in the press. But I wanted to say that it is possi- ble to love each other and to live togeth- er. It's not some huge message, and it won't have any effect, unfortunately." Religion is not an issue in Monsieur Ibrahim, although the shopkeeper's for- eign appearance and habits fascinate the boy, Momo. Their friendship originates with grocery transactions, and then deepens as Momo finds himself in need of a father's guidance. The cultural and generational differ- Ibrahim isn't some invisible stranger — "the spook sitting by the door, to borrow a phrase from another time and place — but a neighborhood fixture who sizes up every customer. He knows that Momo lives alone with his father, and is charged with the daily task of buying and fixing dinner. And Ibrahim knows that Momo, while hardly a juvenile delin- quent, doesn't receive much adult supervision or guidance. In the glimpses he provides of MOMO'S father, director Francois Dupeyron (working from a screen- play adapted from Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt's autobiographical play) presents a man scarred by the past and miserable in the present. The nature of his trauma isn't stat- ed, although an early cut of the film included a scene that implied that he had lost his parents in the Holocaust. Morro, hooked on pop music and under the influence of his hormones, is less interested in painful family history than in polishing his technique with working girls. But for all his self-assur- ance, he yearns for a fatherly influence. ences between Ibrahim and Momo fade as they forge a bond of mutual respect. Momo learns that there is much more to a person than meets the eye, and that an unlikely stranger can turn out to be a major influence. It is hardly a controversial theme, and unlikely to provoke columns like those that castigated Sharif in the Egyptian press for making Funny Girl during the Six-Day War. "Somebody wrote a terrible article saying, 'This man is a traitor, take his passport away, he's kissing Barbra Streisand who helps Israel.' So the press here asked me, 'What [do] you think about the Arab papers saying that you are a traitor?' "I said, 'I never ask a girl her religion or her nationality before I kiss her.'" 17 leases ov. 30, 2004! Early I expiring Ap 004 CTS 2004 S LY 35 PAYMENTS! ONLY 35 PAYMEN www.audeftecadillac.com The Detroit Film Theatre at the DIA screens Monsieur Ibrahim 7 and 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 4 and 7 p.m. Sunday, March 12-14. $5.50- $6.50. (313) 833-3237. It is scheduled to open Friday, March 19, at the Maple Art Theatre in Bloomfield Township; check your local movie listings. (248) 542-0180. BREAK *THROUGH 7100 Orchard Lake Road, W. Bloomfield Mon. & Thurs. till 9; Tues., Wed., Fri. till 6 1-888-920-5417 *12K mi/yr. lease, 36 mo. lease, plus tax, title, plate; all rebates to dealer. Must qualify for employee pricing and GMAC credit and Conquest. 52188* due at signing for SRX. S2798.05 - due at signing for CTS. 819920 • Ni".WVA:' ..:51MEWRIMPIWT•TOMW Gradually and without contrivance, the film constructs a bond between Ibrahim and Momo. As the story pro- gresses, it's clear that Momo has adopt- ed Ibrahim as his surrogate father. In keeping with the generous and low-key spirit of the film, their religious differences are beside the point. There's a scene where Momo is surprised to learn that Ibrahim is circumcised, and the older man explains that Arabs and Jews are children of Abraham. That sequence and the presence of Timmy Thomas' entrancing "Why Can't We Live Together?" on the soundtrack are the only nods toward the ongoing strife between Jews and Arabs. To its credit, Monsieur Ibrahim is about people, not politics. Even more surprising is the deft and delicate way in which it segues from the carnal to the spiritual — from the profane to the sacred. This is the rare movie that, with neither pretension nor condescension, speaks to our higher impulses. Monsieur Ibrahim invites us to contemplate our place in the world, and that's some kind of miracle for a movie. P1 EAST BAY VILLAGE LIMITED CONDOS AT 2003 PRICES! • Quick Occupancy • On Pristine Walled Lake • Community Clubhouse • Sparkling Pool • 3 Different Floorplans • Convenient to Expressways • Exquisite Landscaping, Fountains & Gazebos! V •••• a Located on East Walled Lake Drive, beta een 1¢ Mile & Pontiac Trail Maple Rd te. (248) 669-7500 Open Daly 12:00 - 5:00 • wwweastbay-village.com U■1 11.1+.111 ,,,Si 4N 3/12 2004 51