WWW – What a Wonderful World

It immediately becomes apparent that the title should not be taken seriously at the start of Faouzi Bensaïdi’s latest film. With a light-hearted reference to the Bond films, the opening shots set the tone, augmented by the humorous introduction of the protagonists. With a dry undertone, each sequence seems to be a thoughtful understatement or a variation on a mix of film styles within which it is easy to recognize film noir, animation and slapstick. And yet WWW – What a Wonderful World remains very original.
In a modern Casablanca, the hitman Kamel (Bensaïdi himself) gets himself some diversion after every successful commission with the part-time prostitute Souad. But she does not have her own mobile phone and if he wants to reach her, he first gets the traffic policewoman Kenza on the line, who lends her mobile phone to others for a fee. Slowly but surely, their purely functional conversations become poetic and erotic exchanges and Kamel gets the urge to meet the mysterious Kenza. In the meantime, a young hacker has found out that Kamel gets his commissions on the Internet. He decides in turn to watch the murderer in action.
Before the protagonists meet each other in an unexpectedly violent climax, the director surprises us with comic vicissitudes within which a strict mise-en-scène and refined visual compositions come together to form a unique visual language. This is intensified by the lively soundtrack that effortlessly combines European and Arabic tonalities. (LC)