THE LIGHTER SIDE
East Coast Premiere

Spices and Lies

La Petite Cuisine de Mehdi

AMINE ADJINA
France, 2025
104 minutes, Color

Acclaimed actress Hiam Abbass shines in this comedy about a young chef named Medhi, who is struggling to launch a restaurant with Léa, his French girlfriend, while dealing with his long-suffering mother's attempts to set him up with a proper Algerian wife. Adding to the tension is the fact that Léa has yet to meet Medhi's mother, although her parents are putting up most of the money for the restaurant. As temperatures rise inside and outside the kitchen, Mehdi comes up with a plan that leads to even more comic chaos. He enlists the extravagant Souhila (Abbass) to pretend to be his mother to impress Léa and her folks. As Souhila becomes more enamored of her role, she takes everyone on a most unexpected journey. As things boil over, Mehdi learns that his Algerian heritage is a strength, both in the kitchen and at home.—Dave Nuttycombe

In French with English subtitles