In today’s social context, Wesh wesh (dialectal Arabic expression translated into French in the title, which means « it’s my business ») could not be more appropriate. It offers an unforgiving vision of life in France’s suburban council housing estates (cités) that is neither indulgent nor sensational an inside report. Kamel, played by the director (who also grew up in a housing estate) sneaks back to his cité after doing four years in a French prison for drug trafficking, followed by two years deportation back to Algeria a typical case of the double peine. As an illegal immigrant, he is forced to live by his own resourcefulness. Set in a decaying world that is neither black nor white, where violence plays as big a part in relationships as communication, the film also focuses on the sense of solidarity, the humanity of family relationships and the overwhelming need for recognition of the cité‘s youth. The police are either filmed from behind or their faces are blurred, as if it were a television documentary. This technique emphasises the anachronism of their role as community police and contributes considerably to the latent violence. This is the director’s first feature film and as such is occasionally bogged down by unnecessary demonstrations, however the variety of situations and viewpoints provides nevertheless provides us with a clear picture of the issues surrounding life in the cités.
