Beauty and the Dogs (2017)
Beauty and the Dogs
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Why watch this film?
"Aala Kaf Ifrit" is an extremely relevant (and also hard to watch) movie about how power and authority can intimidate and threaten individual rights of citizens - specifically women. Through the story of a young woman who is raped by police officers, we see that the situation can get even worse when the aggressors are embraced by the system and not the victim, who suffers from start to finish, before, during and after the abuse. Director Kaouther Ben Hania ("The Man Who Sold His Skin") has crafted a story so unsettling with the film's editing that you can feel in the character's shoes and it's revolting. As with any production on this subject, however difficult it may be to watch, it is necessary as unfortunately this is an everyday occurrence in a woman's life. And there is no other way to portray it, any abuse being brutal and completely repulsive. The performance of the protagonist Mariam Al Ferjan is simply breathtaking, with just a look she can convey everything she is feeling, she doesn't even need to make a sound. "Aala Kaf Ifrit" is based on a true story, the saddest part of it is that we know it's not the only account of it and it won't be the last.
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At a party, Mariam meets Youssef’s gaze. A few hours later, she wanders the street in shock. A long night begins for her during which she will have to fight for the respect of her rights and her dignity. How can we obtain justice when it is on the side of the executioners?
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From the same director
I and the Stupid Boy
A powerful, contemporary, necessary short film. Directed and written by Kaouther Ben Hania (from the award-winning ‘The Man Who Sold His Skin’), the film uses only 14 minutes to talk about Nora, a young woman on her way to a date. However, along the way, she unexpectedly meets her ex, Kevin, who demands answers from the brilliantly portrayed Oulaya Amamra. At the end of these less than 15 minutes, it is hard not to think about important topics such as machismo, psychological terrorism practiced by men against women, and other abusive situations in relationships—whether they are current or already ended. An urgent short film.
The Man Who Sold His Skin
Kaouther Ben Hania is one of the most interesting Arab directors of today, after 'Beauty and the Dogs' (2017), she returns to navigate through controversial and extremely important topics. In 'The Man Who Sold His Skin' the filmmaker discusses nationality and xenophobia by telling the story of a young Syrian who leaves his country to go after his great love and to get a visa in Europe he agrees to be tattooed by a famous contemporary artist - who turns him into a work of art. From there, we enter a terrain where the boy stops being seen as a Syrian refugee and becomes a product. This reflection makes us think how far the limits of the human being go and if it is really worth leaving our identity for other opportunities in life. Kaouther Ben Hania works with a very controversial theme and that resonates in our minds for a while. The director is an incredible example - not only for being a female filmmaker, but for showing the strength of Arab stories.
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One of the main figures in the political landscape after World War II was Golda Meir. With her warm features, like a grandmother serving cake and coffee, the Israeli politician was one of the founders of the State of Israel and led it during the 1970s, being responsible for managing the country in times of conflict while Israel established itself as a nation before the rest of the world. It is precisely during this period that Golda, the feature film, takes place, which follows the backstage of the Yom Kippur War, when Israel faced Egypt and Syria. It is a smart biographical drama, which cuts off a single scenario to tell the life story of one of the most emblematic (and controversial) characters in Jewish political history. With Golda being played by an unrecognizable Helen Mirren, heavily made up but with force in her facial expressions, the feature film manages to impress with its faithful portrait of the Prime Minister. There is only one point of attention: director Guy Nattiv (Oscar-winning for the short Skin) fails to address other views on Golda and the Israeli cause to embrace a single view of Israel and Golda as the good guys and the Arabs, as has been happening for decades in cinemas, as heartless villains.
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