Twenty-something Amine and Nour, who’s a little older, are strangers when they first meet, preparing for an attack. Nour is determined to carry out the attack and become a martyr. She is the one who is in control. But her inexperienced accomplice starts to have his doubts about the attack on a nearby oil refinery. As the two of them prepare for the attack, they each learn in their own way how to deal with the existential questions this throws up. During the night before the dangerous action, Nour plays her last trump card.
Merzak Allouache, who in his documentary Enquête au paradis (2017) interviewed Muslims about their views on paradise, seems to have elaborated on this theme in this lucid drama, shot in high-contrast black-and-white. The absence of background music makes escape all but impossible; the soft, intensely hypnotic sound of murmured prayer is interspersed with that of the eternal, eerie desert wind.
Trailer
This content is available after accepting the marketing cookies.
Film details
- Countries of production
- Algeria, France, Lebanon, Qatar
- Year
- 2018
- Festival edition
- IFFR 2019
- Length
- 95"
- Medium/Format
- DCP
You may also like this
-
Pet Names
Leigh’s holiday, a weekend away from her severely ill mother, does not provide much relief; camping with an ex reopens old wounds.
-
Luciérnagas
Heart-rending drama about a gay Iranian refugee whose new relationships in Mexico confront him with his past, and his future.
-
Sisters of the Wilderness
Trekking through the iMfolozi Wildlife Park, three young South African women find a new connection with nature, and each other.