After Venice, Hamburg, London, Mumbai, Namur and Carthage, the Tunisian film A son (bik n3ich) by Mehdi Barsaoui, with in the main role Sami Bouajila (Best Male Interpretation Prize, Horizons section, in Venice for its role as Ben Youssef) and Najla Ben Abdallah, made the opening of the Horizons competition of the 41 Arab cinemath Edition of the Cairo Film International Film Festival (CIFF) in gala projection (or with red carpet) To which attended, in addition to the director and the main actress, the producer Habib Attia and the president of the CIFF Mohamed Hefzy, several actors and professionals of the Egyptian and foreign cinema and a large audience who came to discover this new Tunisian film.
A son is the first fictional feature produced by Mehdi Barsaoui, who had started his cinematographic career with three short films: In my place (2010), Bobby (2013), and We are good like that (2016), who won the Golden Muhr of best short film at the Dubai International Festival.
Synopsis: Tunisia, summer 2011. Farés and Meriem spin happy days with Aziz, their 11 -year -old son. During a stay in the south of the country, an event changes the course of their lives. While a race against the clock starts, long -lived truths are starting to resurface.
A son is a very beautiful film which mainly deals two themes: marital infidelity and organ donation, while denouncing Tunisian retrograde laws.
Farés and Mariem form a couple from a wealthy environment, and supposedly progressive. They have open friends, are French -speaking, drink alcohol, both work, and Farés even resided in France for a while. The family is united and accomplice. Farés and Meriem are close to each other, including physically. They touch each other, embrace, kiss, cry in their arms from each other….
But what about when there is infidelity? How will this apparently modern couple behave? How will each of them react to the other? Why is male infidelity in our societies more easily accepted and forgiven than female infidelity? Had already cheated on her, she had forgiven. Will he do it?
What is obvious, however, is that the break is present. Besides, Farés and Mariem no longer touch, do not get closer. They want it and everyone stays in their corner.
Without screams or howls, A son deals with this subject of infidelity with finesse, sensitivity and subtlety, without falling at any time in the melodrama. On the contrary, the director found a way to share with us the depth of the parents’ confusion and pain, themselves injured in their feelings, but also and above all worried about their aziz.
Farés loves her son, for sure. He is ready to do anything to save him. His instinct and paternal love are put to the test. But in fact, who is the true father of a child? The biological or the one who raises it?
Without judgments or moral preaching, A son Access many delicate questions and invites profound reflections on various subjects, mainly on the family, but also on our society and our humanity. He denounces on the way certain retrograde laws: in 2011 (and moreover still in 2019) the Tunisian father is the only tutor of his minor children and is therefore the only authorized to make important decisions and to sign all the papers concerning them, as if the mother was an incapable or an intruder. She who carries her children within her, for nine months, does not have these rights! What is the role of the mother in our societies? A simple generator and governess?
Our retrograde laws concern several other areas, such as organ donation. Moreover, they contribute in this way to complicate situations, endanger the patients and encourage organ trafficking and crimes. What is clearly shown in the film.
Since its projection on the first day of the festival, A son arouses debates here in Cairo. Journalists, criticisms and other spectators say how much they liked this film, who knew how to interest them enormously, as well by the subjects tackled, as well as by the quality of the realization and the game of the actors, in particular that of Sami Bouajila, who according to the Palestinian director Najwa Najjar carries all the film on her shoulders thanks to his dazzling and very convincing interpretation All prices save his son, without denying his principles. Spectators are also often surprised to discover the existence of these retrograde laws in Tunisia, especially since most of them thought that in our country, men and women were legally equal on all levels.
It is this evening that the CIFF closing ceremony will take place and that the members of the jury of this Horizons of Arab cinema competition will unveil the names of the winners. Will this beautiful Tunisian film be among them?
Neïla Driss
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