Ali (the engaging Said Taghmaoui) struggles not be deported as he works at a series of screenplays, one of which is bound to be a winner.
Moving home continuously, he hooks up with gay photographer Mark (Rupert Graves), Marilyn Monroe impersonator Linda (Juliette Lewis) and eventually marries the aged Miss Stevenson (Anna Massey), who is convinced Ali is the reincarnation of her long-dead lover.
Al-Haggar's movie is a curious mix, sometimes amusing (though not as amusing as it wants to be), and often feeling that just showcasing Ali's experience will suffice. The movie is saved by some winning performances, however, most notably from Juliette Lewis, whose damaged vulnerability fits perfectly with her low-rent Marilyn. A film full of ambition - like Ali's, mostly unrealised.