Kung Fu Zohra

Zohra is initially happy with her marriage to Omar, but his jealous side increasingly gets the upper hand. When he starts beating her and is immediately very sorry, Zohra wants to forgive him, as many domestic violence victims do. Only when he really goes too far does Zohra realise she has to separate from him. However, by then she is trapped: they have a daughter together, who loves her father.

Without making light of the subject, Kung Fu Zohra posits a playful, cinematic solution to domestic violence. Zohra, who has always loved kung fu films, starts learning an Asian martial art. She is helped by the mysterious security guard at the gym she works at. Step by step, Zohra works towards her liberation in this extremely well-acted French drama by the director of J.C.V.D.. Cleverly applying the conventions of the kung fu genre to deal with a serious societal problem, Mabrouk El Mechri’s latest strikes a perfect balance between seriousness and uplifting humour.

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