directed by Nabil Ayouch
I bet lots of you haven’t heard of this film, yet I think you should. I found it by accident and, despite rather average ratings, watched it with much interest. Especially since it’s a French-Moroccan production and… it was banned in Morocco. Why? Let’s talk about it… The story is about four women working as sex workers: Noha (Loubna Abidar), Randa (Asmaa Lazrak), Soukaina (Halima Karaouane) and Hlima (Sara Elmhamdi Elalaoui). Each one of them is different, they have different temperaments, different ways of being and different backgrounds. Yet, they all have something in common – their bodies are their providers. We follow them in their everyday life as they meet with extremely wealthy foreigners who treat them like objects as well as random men on the street who can barely pay for sex with them. But none of them treat Noha, Randa, Soukaina and Hlima like human beings, like women, like ladies. They seem to exist to please men and not to enjoy their lives. Because as much as they party, laugh a lot, drink expensive alcohol and wear fancy clothes, their reality is miserable. This film is full of contrasts, which in the end make you feel horribly sad. You see them dancing and having fun, but deep inside you know it’s not real happiness. I’d say this film is quite raw, that’s why it doesn’t have such high ratings, as it’s not a documentary, yet it doesn’t let you forget you’re watching a film. Plus, as I mentioned, it was banned in Morocco as, according to their authorities, it presents Moroccan women in a shameful way. But my question is: really? Is it really about these women? Shouldn’t we be more concerned how men are presented in this and such films? Sex workers wouldn’t exist and wouldn’t earn money if there weren’t any clients – simple business rules. So why are Moroccan authorities ashamed of how this film presents their women if the only disgusting thing I saw were abusive and disloyal men? Imagine that one of the actresses was receiving death threats after playing in this production. I lack words to express how insane this is, so I’ll just let it sink in and let you reflect on it yourselves. I think that is why it’s important to make this film more visible and talk about the real problem it presents. And for all four ladies from the film – much love!
My rating: 6/10
S.
I have nothing to watch 