AllMovie

Life Kills Me is a touching account of the struggle of two brothers of Arab descent, trying to find their way in contemporary France. Director/co-writer Jean-Pierre Sinapi does a great job of capturing the tumultuous but loving bond between Paul (Sami Bouajila) and Daniel (Jalil Lespert). There's also an interesting romantic relationship between Paul and Myriam (Sylvie Testud), which doesn't go smoothly, more because of how Paul feels about himself than because of how the couple feel about each other; he has clearly internalized society's bias against him. Testud, meanwhile, has excelled at playing offbeat roles, but here, playing a sweet young woman, she's luminous. Paul is educated and clever, but he sees himself as an outcast. Bouajila is sympathetic, without soft-pedaling the anger that simmers beneath the character's surface. Lespert, meanwhile, is excellent, giving a sense of all the confusion and self-loathing that lurks beneath Daniel's goofy, muscle-headed exterior. In Daniel's story line, as he deals with the effects of using steroids and supplements on his body, the film occasionally borders on movie-of-the-week" melodrama, but the strength of the performances and the wit and emotional honesty of the script (as in the matter-of-fact way the brothers address Daniel's sexuality) prevent it from crossing that line.