A cosy family holiday ends in disaster for Fares (Sami Bouajila) and his wife Meriem (Najla Ben Abdallah). As they accidentally drive past an exchange of fire between Islamic militants, their son Aziz (Youssef Khemiri, 11) in the back seat is hit by a stray bullet. In the accident & emergency ward, the wealthy Tunisian couple face a new problem: Aziz needs a donor organ, but it can’t be from them.
Mehdi M. Barsaoui’s film debut is a balanced, nerve-wracking family drama that delicately critiques patriarchal traditions in Tunisia. Set in 2011, just after the Jasmine Revolution, the country is already changing, but Fares and Meriem have lost all hope for the future. Bouajila and Abdallah deliver impressive performances as the desperate couple who have shrinking options for saving Aziz. Then Barsaoui takes us outside the pastel colours of the hospital, revealing how you can get organs in grim, illegal ways.
Film details
- Countries of production
- France, Lebanon, Qatar, Tunisia
- Year
- 2019
- Festival edition
- IFFR 2020
- Length
- 95'
- Medium/Format
- DCP
