Four Daughters

How can storytelling help us fathom and process events that have come to pass? This unique hybrid film from Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania combines fiction, theatre and documentary to evoke and explore the heartbreaking story of a mother’s complex relationship with her daughters.
 
Olfa Hamrouni has four daughters: Eya, Tayssir, Ghofrane and Rahma. But when the two eldest teenagers suddenly vanish, radicalised to join Islamic extremists in Libya, the remaining women are left to unpack their memories from before and after their departure, dissecting how femininity, trauma and inherited histories have impacted their family. With Ghofrane and Rahma unable to tell their stories, the filmmaker invites two professional actresses to fill in for them – participating in re-enactments to further probe the bonds of sisterhood.
 
Featuring bravura and deeply courageous performances from the real-life mother, daughters and professional cast, this devastating and charismatic portrait of five women won three prizes at Cannes, including the L’Œil d’or award for Best Documentary. A work of experimental nonfiction cinema unlike any other, Four Daughters is a cathartic and memorably ambitious examination of two generations of Tunisian women – and the shattering effects of words left unspoken.
 
– Sophie Tupholme

Trailer

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