The film held my attention, because it is so completely outside a Western way of life, so for me it was almost of anthropological interest. But how much of what we saw is really the way things are, and how much was seen through a prism? So many of the people in the film seem to express everything with a total economy of words. It is hard to imagine the main character becoming the author he supposedly did, because he barely expresses anything verbally throughout most of the film. One doesn't get a sense of playfulness within the family. Just tensions and conflict... and a total lack of real communication.

I was beginning to wonder if this is really a national characteristic - until the one moment when we see a bunch of kids playing on the beach which made me feel that this family was not typical at all.Eventually this slow, plodding, SILENCE for so much of the film wore down my interest. Near the end, a French lover asks the now-grown boy to explain why he doesn't want to be lovers any more; his answer is "I told you in my letter". But we never know WHAT was in the letter, and this is finally the real failure for me of the film. Too much is left for the audience to imagine, without any help from the film-maker.

The only part which I truly liked was the meetings with various men. The way one looked at him you could feel his desire,it was palpable; with a second, the boy's need for tenderness and a shy affection was truly sweet, and the exact opposite of sheer lust. They were the most believable moments in the film. If I have given it a score of 5 - it is partly because it is an enigma which is interesting despite itself. But technically, an almost immobile camera and overly long takes which would have been better with editing made it hard to go higher.

Though adapted from an autobiography by a Moroccan writer, this is very much a French film, and quite a good one IMO. This is a gay-themed movies for grown ups. It's a film that transcends its deceptively simple storyline and it packs a wallop.

It's difficult to summarize this movie without making it sound like less than it is. It's a coming of age movie, yes, but that's just the framework for some very unusual fare.

We first meet Abdellah as a young teenager. He's at the age when it's becoming inappropriate for him to hang with his sisters and mother, and time to be with the men, though his family doesn't see him as a man yet.

Nevertheless, he's already sexually active with adult men in his Casablanca neighborhood. Though family life is a little grim, his father seems to know that for some men his son is an object of desire, and that he has crushes. Interestingly, this doesn't seem to be a big deal.

Midway the film jumps ahead to show Abdellah in very different circumstances leading a very different life. It's an abrupt change, one that startles. But it's the latter part of the movie that gives it its heft. It may be a simple story line, but it's a weighty theme.

It's worth noting that the only time we see Abdellah smile in the movie is when he is young during an encounter with a man who is perhaps six or seven years his senior. We see an exchange of emotion between two equals, despite their age difference. It's a brief scene, and neither the partner nor that feeling is shown again. I'm noting this scene because if you see the movie, you may need to be reminded that there was once a smile....

Lest you be put off by the title, a Salvation Army facility is seen briefly, but the title is a metaphor.

This is the sort of movie that doesn't have much of a plot, but is compelling enough to keep you watching. The shots were incredibly beautiful, yet powerful. But then, if you were looking for a movie which involves a romantic plot or erotic scenes, you might just be as disappointed as I am.

If you are looking for a "proper" gay movie, this is definitely not one. I wouldn't even say that "gay" is the main theme of the movie - "confusion" might be a more suitable one. As an auto-biographical movie, I think it does a pretty good job already. I am intrigued by the movie to read the novel, too.

Bottom line: only watch this movie if you want to spend an hour or two to get to know the story of a person, who just happens to be gay. If not, watch "Hawaii" (2013),a movie with similar pace and cinematography, except that "Hawaii" actually has a plot.