Bezness

Sensuality, pleasure, smiling, sin, artificial or real freedom, joy and pain are combined in this film which looks as North-South relations as a kind of wrestling match. The tragic structure, in the Greek sense of the word, forces the protagonists to accept a fate which remains a mystery until the end.Young Tunisian gigolos sell their bodies to tourists from the North. As seducers with an oriental background in an Arab Islamic country, they have to be macho. As bastard products trying to be exotic, they lead a double life: free-thinkers with tourists, they must be conservative with their family; a combination which painful and lonely.The French photographer Fred is in Tunisia to report on the gigolo bezness. In this world where the picture is an assault and representation a taboo, he is protected by the dark and handsome Roufa, who also sells his body. Roufa’s dream is to go to Europe, but he is emotionally torn apart by his relationship with his dream future and the strong links he retains with his traditional surroundings.To document himself for Bezness, Bouzid made many video interviews with young gigolos learnt a lot about their techniques, tricks and viewpoints. Libération described the problem which Bouzid tackles here as cultural schizophrenia.