We are in Epinay-sur-Seine, a typical working-class neighbourhood in the periphery of Paris, where a majority of immigrants live. This quartier nearly rebelled too during the revolts that spread out all around France last year. Here, for four years the director filmed Ali’s grocery store, the only meeting place —or shelter— left for the inhabitants of this abandoned area.
As a result, this film is rich of humanity but also surprisingly politically committed, as it raises questions related to urban planning and to the need for meeting points in the suburbs.