“Lil Mout/Until death” is a Lebanese soap opera, written by Nadine Jaber and directed by Philip Asmar, who follows the adventures of two young women, Sahar and Reem, crooks by their profession.
Part of the season ”of this soap opera was shot in Tunisia.
It is through pretty images of the medina of Tunis and Sidi Bou Saïd that the first episode of season 3 of the Lebanese soap opera began five days ago five days ago. Lil Mout (until death).
The picturesque views of the Tunis medina, with its narrow and winding streets, and the magnificent turquoise blue trellis windows by Sidi Bou Said added a unique charm and atmosphere to the first episode and have already brought a welcome freshness to the soap. They almost made you forget the big disappointment of the absence in this season 3, of the character of Hadi, played by the Syrian actor Mohamad Alahmad, absence which broke the heart of all his admirers.
The director also added a very friendly local touch by having bambalouni buy by Sahar/Samar, dies typical of the village Sidi Bou Saïd, and making him say “i3aychik” in Tunisian.
Lil Mout is a Lebanese soap opera, written by Nadine Jaber and directed by Philip Asmar, who follows the adventures of two young women, Sahar and Reem, crooks by their profession.
Season 2 of the soap opera ended with a fall into the sea of the two young women, to flee their pursuers.
At the start of season 3, Sahar and Reem were installed in Tunisia. They are now called Samar and Line, want to go back to zero, work and finally win their lives honestly. Will they be able?
This is what we will see throughout the 30 episodes of this new season.
Thanks to the permission of the Tunisian executive producer Brahim Eltaief, I had the privilege of attending a filming day last November, and therefore to meet Joelle Bitar the producer, the two Lebanese actresses Maguy Bou Ghosn (SAHAR) and Daniella Rahme (Reem), the director Philip Asmar and our Tunisian actress Fatma Saidane (JAKO) of this season 3.
It was a beautiful spring day. The shooting took place in a house and a street in Sidi Bou Saïd. The passers -by were curious and stopped to watch the actresses. Some were trying to talk to them and get pictures with them.
According to the producer, given the huge success that the first two seasons had, it was decided to make a three season, with a new story, in a new country and with new characters and actors. But to renew itself a little and for history to remain credible, the two girls had to be in a foreign country, far from Lebanon. The choice was set on Tunisia because nature is pretty, the sets are beautiful and the climate Clement.
At the beginning, production had thought of going to Touner in Turkey, but Mohamed Maghraoui of the Films 19 company was able to convince them to come to Tunisia by highlighting the quality of technicians, sets, service and reasonable prices. A Lebanese team had come in Tunis and was convinced. At the end, the Lebanese were so satisfied that they even wanted to take certain Tunisian technicians with them in Lebanon!
Maguy Bou Ghosn, commenting on this Tunisian experience, said that she really enjoyed working with Tunisian technicians and that she had a lot of fun. They have shot very beautiful scenes together in magnificent places in Tunisia. She also pointed out that Tunisian viewers will be able to see Tunisia through the eye of director Philip Asmar and discover very beautiful sets.
Maguy Bou Ghosn and Daniella Rahme said they were very happy to have come to Tunisia, although they regret not having really taken advantage of it. Indeed, they wake up every day at four in the morning, and filming during all days until evening, they could not visit the country. However, they love the places they have turned, that they found very beautiful. For example, they went to the souks of the Tunis medina that they loved. People recognized them, they understood that Tunisians knew the soap and loved it, which made them want to come back. For Danielle Rahme, it was her first visit to Tunisia, but Maguy Bou Ghosn had already come, since she had shot the film Habbet Caramel (2017), directed by Elie F. Habib with Dhafer the Abdine in the main role and that she had attended the first in the film here in Tunisia.
There is a real complicity between the two actresses. They explain that they have just spent three years working and living together, which has given birth to a very great friendship that allows them to understand themselves immediately, both in their personal lives and on filming. They also want to work together and want after the end of this soap opera to play a comic duo.
Tunisian actress Fatma Saidane joined the cast of this third season. Asked about her participation in this series, she said that she had never heard of it before and that it was the director who had contacted her directly to offer him a role. He briefly introduced him to the synopsis of the first two seasons and the character of Jako whom he asked to play. She found the role nice and interesting, and although it was not very important, she decided to accept the offer because she found the character of Jako captivating. “” I don’t have a big role but I liked it. The important thing is not that the role is long or not but what is important is that the character of Jako is interesting She said.
Fatma Saidane therefore plays the role of Jako, who meets the two young women when they arrived in Tunisia, praises them a house and employs them in his bar. She will appear in about the first ten episodes of the series, which take place first in Tunisia and then in Lebanon.
This opportunity is a new experience for the Tunisian actress, who is enthusiastic about the idea of taking up the challenge and playing alongside other talented actors in this highly anticipated soap.
Asked about her work experience with a Lebanese production team for a project in Tunisia, Fatma Saidane replied that it was the first time that she worked with Lebanese and that she had greatly appreciated the team. Despite cultural differences, the Lebanese and Tunisian teams have managed to collaborate professionally. The actress underlined the quality of the director’s work, of which she could see some extracts on the instructor, and found the images very beautiful.
She said that a large team had been moved from Lebanon, including members of the hairdressing and make -up departments, decoration, lighting, director of photography, director and assistants, as well as the production team. Tunisians also participated in production, including providing machinists, electricians and sound technicians.
She hopes that the director will appreciate this work and will be encouraged to work again with Tunisians in the future.
After the broadcast of five episodes, what about this season 3?
Lil Mout/Until death was a great success with his first season, broadcast in 2021. The story of two professional waxes who marry rich men to strip them had seduced viewers, especially when one of them had really fallen in love with Hadi, one of his victims.
Season 1 also explored the past of the two women, who were once street children and who had had to take care of themselves and learn to count on each other. This had been an opportunity to treat this theme of street children in Lebanon.
Season 1 was therefore full of emotions and real suspense. The characters were very endearing and the intrigue original. She aroused the emotion, compassion and solidarity of spectators, without forgetting that she told a magnificent love story.
Season 2 had started to disappoint a little while having started a turning point to the policeman, with the revelation that the handsome Hadi was actually a smuggler. She still managed to please and maintain pressure on the future of the love story between Reem and Hadi.
However, it is in season 3 that the series will apparently know its greatest drift. Indeed, the first episodes completely deviate towards great banditry, with false money, drugs, prosecution races, blackmail … The screenwriter has chosen to add spectacular elements to maintain the attention of viewers, but that had the opposite effect on some.
The credibility of history has taken a hit, with exaggerated twists and turns and situations drawn by hair.
Lil Mout had a very interesting potential. The first season was a jewel, with moving moments and nuanced characters. The series had been able to create a fascinating universe, with credible characters and a captivating plot. We hope that the next episodes will be better and will find the essence of the first two seasons. We look forward to seeing what will happen in the days to come.
Neïla Driss
