Swagger
The banlieue housing projects outside Paris have been the setting for many a gritty saga of desperation and despair. Swagger is not one of those movies. Instead, this joyously innovative documentary immerses viewers in the hopes, dreams, and rich inner lives of eleven black and Middle Eastern teenagers growing up in one of France’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods. With thrilling flights of fantasy—including musical numbers and an imaginative science-fiction sequence—Swagger offers a refreshing, much-needed counter-perspective on the minority experience in France.