Les chevaux de Dieu

Inspired by the novel Les étoiles de Sidi Moumen by Mahi Binebine, Les chevaux de Dieu tells the story of two brothers who grow up in a poor neighbourhood in Casablanca. At an early age they become familiar with drugs and crime. Through a mixture of poverty, dissatisfaction and fury, they become fascinated by Islamic fundamentalism and decide to become martyrs for Al Qaeda.
No one is born to be a martyr. The film can be regarded as a study of the motivations of terrorists: how do they reach the point where they want to give up their lives in an attack?
A film that sows the seed of understanding for Islamic terrorists is automatically controversial. But it’s a clever achievement on the part of Nabil Ayouch that he manages to persuade the viewer not only to understand the protagonists, but also to empathise with them. The film does not condemn them, so we can’t simply judge them.