Projected in competition at the fourth edition of the International Film of the Red Sea Film (RSIFF) which was held from December 5 to 14, 2024, “Aïcha” is the second feature film by Mehdi Barsaoui, director known for his remarkable film “A son” (2019).
Aicha had made his world premiere at the Mostra Di Venezia 2024, where he won the prize for the best Mediterranean film, all sections. After this success, Aïcha was selected at several European festivals, affirming its place among the striking cinematographic works of the year. His first in the Arab world stands in competition in the RSIFF. The film tells the story of Eya, a young woman from southern Tunisia, and explores themes related to social injustice, systemic violence and the quest for emancipation.
Eya works in a luxury hotel in Tozeur, a desert region in the south of Tunisian, marked by striking contrasts between tourist opulence and local poverty. Coming from a modest family, she undergoes constant family pressure and abuses in her professional environment. When an accident on the road makes her pass for dead, she decides to seize this opportunity to flee her past life. Under the name of Amira, she goes to Tunis in the hope of rebuilding herself and escaping an oppressive environment.
The capital, far from being the place of freedom it aspired, confronts Eya with a new series of tests. She quickly discovered that life in Tunis is marked by other forms of injustice, in particular economic exploitation and abuse of power. By reinventing herself, Eya becomes a symbol of struggle in a society where survival is often synonymous with combat.
The director said that he was inspired by a news item that had deeply marked him: the story of a young woman who simulated his death after an accident to test the love of his parents. This story, which occurred when he was promoting His first film A sonhad a personal resonance for Mehdi Barsaoui. At that time, his wife was waiting for their first child, a little girl. As a future father, he then projected himself into the position of a man who believes he has lost his daughter before discovering that she is always alive. He found it incredible that one person arrives at such ends to test the love of his parents. This experience has also fueled a broader reflection on the weight of sacrifices and injustices in Tunisian society.
During the debate after the screening, he said: ” I was wondering why we, Tunisians, must go through death to be able to live. Why are we forced to fight to survive instead of simply living ? These questions, mixed with his own emotions as a father in the making, pushed him to write a fiction inspired by this story, while transposing it in a more universal setting.
The film highlights the geographic and social contrasts between the south and northern Tunisia. The South, represented by arid and isolated landscapes, is portrayed as a space where economic and social isolation amplifies the difficulties of its inhabitants. The capital, on the other hand, appears chaotic, teeming with life, but just as oppressive. These two spaces embody the structural obstacles to which Eya is faced in its quest for a better future.
In the background, the film tackles wider themes linked to the female condition in Tunisia. Eya embodies the fight of women who, in a patriarchal society, must overcome almost insurmountable obstacles to assert their independence. The heroine has repeatedly undergone physical and psychological violence, especially in the form of sexual exploitation, exercised both by her boss in Tozeur and a “friend” in Tunis. These aggressions reflect a system where women are often trapped in unequal power relations.
Mehdi Barsaoui was also inspired by a second news item having shaken Tunisia: the murder of a young man in a Tunis bar by security agents, who had tried to make up this act in accident. This event, combined with the history of the surviving young woman, allowed her to explore themes such as omerta, the privileges of certain untouchable individuals and systemic corruption. The film highlights how these realities affect the ambitions of emancipation of those who seek to escape oppression.
The film is also interested in corruption and the abuses committed by the police. These practices, although denounced since the 2011 revolution, continue to gangrener Tunisian society. Through an investigation by a police officer determined to burst the truth, Aïcha Questions the mechanisms that allow justice to triumph in a context where it is often hampered.
Despite a framework marked by violence and inequalities, the story offers moments when hope persists. The resilience of Eya, its ability to reinvent itself and overcome the tests, emphasizes the importance of struggling for its dignity, even in opposing conditions. At the end of the film, the choice of first name Aïcha, which means “living” in Arabic, reflects this desire to be reborn and assert itself, despite the difficulties.
Lasting 123 minutes, Aïcha Bases on a staging that accentuates tensions between the intimate and the collective. The visual choices, contrasting the desolate landscapes of the South with the urban effervescence of Tunis, strengthen the symbolic significance of the story. Carried by a solid casting, with an excellent Fatma Sfar in the main role, the film explores both personal and societal themes, offering a complex look at a changing Tunisia.
Aicha Fiction feature films are also in official competition at Carthage Cinematographic Days.
Neïla Driss
