Chimo (played by Mohammed Khouas) is a nineteen-year-old self-described loser who lives in an Arab ghetto with his mother in post-9/11 Marseille.

He falls for Lila (Vahina Giocante), a beautiful blonde sixteen-year-old who just moved into the neighborhood with her eccentric and sexually abusive aunt.

The site's consensus was, "Lila Says is a vibrantly told coming-of-age story, helped by the sultry charisma of Giocante.

"[1][2] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave it a grade B+ and called it "[An] unabashedly erotic cross-cultural love story.

"[3] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times wrote: "Raw, earthy yet tender and perceptive, Lila Says marks a strong directorial debut for Doueiri.