“Magnifique” Hits 3.9! Discover Why It’s Ahmed Sylla’s Best Film Yet

With a 13-year career and over thirty films and series to his name, Ahmed Sylla has become one of the most recognizable faces in French cinema.

From his early role in the horror comedy “Goal of the Dead” alongside Alban Lenoir, to adaptations like the popular comic book series “La Guerre des Lulus,” and through various popular comedies such as “Twins but not too much,” “Inseparables,” “Our Very Small Wedding,” and “Super Dad,” Sylla has taken on a variety of roles.

Now at 35, he’s taking a pivotal step in his career by directing the comedy “The Infiltrator.”

In this feature film, he even takes on cross-dressing. When a clumsy police officer is assigned an ultra-sensitive undercover mission, he never expects to have to transform into a woman to get close to a fearsome gang of warriors led by the formidable “Uncle.” Maxime dreamed of becoming an undercover agent… Lupita will realize his dream!

With the release of “The Infiltrator,” let’s find out which Ahmed Sylla film is the audience’s favorite.

What is Ahmed Sylla’s highest-rated film?

With an average rating of 3.9 stars from 7,557 ratings and 512 reviews, “The Climb” (2017) by Ludovic Bernard is the top-rated feature film in the comedian’s filmography.

In his first major film role, “The Climb” follows Samy, a young man who leaves his housing project out of love for Nadia (Alice Belaïdi) to climb the legendary 8,848 meters of Mount Everest. His departure excites his friends, then all of the 93rd district, and soon the whole of France is emotionally following the exploits of this ordinary yet passionate young man. The message is clear: everyone must invent their future, since anything is possible.

Featured in the competition at the International Comedy Film Festival in Alpe d’Huez in 2017, “The Climb” brought 1.13 million viewers to French theaters and launched Ahmed Sylla’s film career. Ludovic Bernard adapted the book by Nadir Dendoune, “A Loser on the Roof of the World.” This incredible story is indeed based on true events, though the director has departed from the original material.

Bernard admits that he had never read Dendoune’s book. “I hadn’t read the book and I still haven’t because I wanted to move away from it in my film. I had just heard about this story when it was publicized in 2008. It was a script that had been circulating at the Cité du Cinéma for a while…” For instance, the romance between Samy and Nadia does not appear in the autobiographical novel.

Did Ahmed Sylla actually climb Everest?

While the actor did not actually climb Everest, the film was partly shot in Nepal, but not on the summit, which is far too dangerous. The team scouted by helicopter in January (one of the coldest months) with the intention of filming in the spring.

The team also went to Chamonix, notably because there was not enough snow in Nepal. “We filmed around the Aiguille du Goûter, a place that looks a lot like the top of Everest. That’s where we brought the totem and recreated the intermediate camps that the mountaineers in the film pass through. Paradoxically, it was more difficult in Chamonix than in Nepal because we were really up to our waists in snow, which is not very convenient for working!“, the director explains in the press kit.

“A true breath of fresh air”

With a majority of 4/5 ratings, the film is described as a “true breath of fresh air,” a “feel-good movie,” a “pleasant entertainment,” “moving,” and a “refreshing film that does good” by internet users who reviewed it. The majority of them appreciate, above all, the performance of Ahmed Sylla.

For Aymen B “Ahmed Sylla and Alice Belaïdi convey the joy and warmth – too often obscured – of the inhabitants of the 93rd district and all the suburbs of France!”, while Serge V says, “Ahmed Sylla is excellent and brings his likable persona to the role“.

BenoitG80 notes, “Ahmed Sylla is quite convincing” and MatPunisherX writes that “Ahmed was the ideal actor for this film”. Finally, for Adrien M “The Climb will bring Ahmed Sylla a very beautiful career, much like Omar Sy.”

For ToulouseEvents it’s: “An emotional slap! We are in awe all through the film watching Samy. An emotional surge, we go from laughter to tears, from joy to chills facing the intensity of the challenge that Samy undertakes. The last five minutes make the film one of the best in a long time.”

Titicaca120 writes: “A beautiful hymn to love in this refreshing film that does us good. Ahmed Sylla offers a beautiful performance full of courage and for love of his girl. Great images of Nepal and that little sherpa fan of Johnny. He’s great!”

Isabelle H adds “Magnificent. It’s a beautiful lesson in life and love. The imagery is beautiful. The humor is more than present. In short, a very good film to watch and rewatch. Bravo.”

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