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Al bahr min ouaraikoum

Runtime:
88 min.
Year of Production:
2014
Country:
Marocco
Director:
Cast:
Malek Akhmiss
Yassine Sekkal
Mohammed Aouragh
Hassan Badida
Adil Lasri
Fairouz Amiri
Najat Khairallah
Hanane Zouhdi
Zineb Smaiki
Production Company:
LA PROD
Berlinale Section:
Panorama

Tarik is unable to shed a tear about the loss of his children, or that his life is in ruins. Instead he shrouds his moustache under a veil and sways his hips to the music as the procession moves down the street. Tarik is a H’Dya, a traditional dancer who appears in women’s clothes. Tarik’s father, who leads the parade down the empty Moroccan streets, bawls his eyes out when his beloved cart horse Larbi refuses to go on, and combs his mane lovingly with his dentures. Tarik’s ex-wife’s bruiser of a partner installs himself in Tarik’s toilet. And Tarik’s friend Murad is threatened and insulted on account of his homosexuality. Was there really something in the water, as everyone claims? Or is it all in Tarik’s mind?In his third feature film, Hicham Lasri tells us, in surreally beautiful black and white images, about traditions and trance, intolerance and violence, friendship and flesh and blood. And about animal love – albeit possibly inappropriate. Aided by raucous Moroccan rock music, Lasri composes a David Lynch-like state of intoxication to produce a truly modern Maghrebi cinematic experience.

BIOGRAFIE Hicham Lasri

Born in Casablanca, Morocco in 1977, he studied economy and law and then wrote theatre plays, novels and screenplays before turning to directing. In 2012 he made his debut lm with THE END, about the last days of King Hassan, which was critically acclaimed. In THEY ARE THE DOGS (2013) he drew parallels between the Arab Spring of 2011 and the ‘bread revolts’ in Morocco in 1981. The work
on this lm, produced by noted Moroccan director Nabil Ayouch, was supported by the ACID programme at the Cannes International Film Festival.

FILMOGRAFIE Hicham Lasri (selection)

2018 Jahilya  2014 Al bahr min ouaraikoum  2013 C'est eux les chiens (They Are the Dogs)  2011 The End 

Hicham Lasri @IMDb
Trailer
Interview with Hicham Lasri

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