A One Mann’s Movies review of “Aïcha” (2024) (From the 2024 London Film Festival).
This is another film that I suspect, were it not for the LFF, I probably would struggle to see. “Aïcha” is a tale that is said to be based on true incidents that happened after the Tunisian revolution.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
“Aïcha” Plot Summary:
Aya Dhaoui (Fatma Sfarr) leads a life of relative servitude in the Southern Tunisian region of Tozeur. Working as a cleaner in a resort hotel, she is expected to hand over all of her wages to her mother and father. But after a freak accident she has a chance to change all of that by assuming a new identity. But freedom in her new life in constrained by the problems of her lack of identity.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (This has not yet been rated by the BBFC. I would expect it to be a ’15’ based on scenes of injury, strong language and sexual violence.)
Talent:
Starring: Fatma Sfarr, Hela Ayed, Ala BenHamad, Yassmine Dimassi, Badis Galaoui, Nidhal Saadi.
Directed by: Mehdi Barsaoui.
Written by: Mehdi Barsaoui.
Running Time: 2h 3m.
“Aïcha” Summary:
Positives:
- A twisting and turning story.
- It’s “based on real-events” .
- Newcomer Fatma Sfarr is terrific in the lead role.
- Beautiful shots of the Tunisian landscape during the first part of the film.
Negatives:
- Over-long and over-stuffed, this has about 3 different films merged into one: some are better than others.
Review of “Aïcha”:
A problem of identity.
This starts off fairly simply with a soap-opera type scenario of Aya (Fatma Sfarr) working in the hotel but secretly (not so secretly, based on comments from her colleague) screwing the boss Karim (Ala BenHamad). But on a commute to work, things take a dramatic turn south (a really shocking and well-filmed sequence).
Then we are in to a completely different film, where identity – or rather the lack of it – become extremely problematic for young Aya (or as she now is, Amira).
Moving to Tunis, she falls on her feet with a friendly new flatmate (an impressive Yassmine Dimassi) and her set of rich and well-connected friends. She also befriends a bakery owner who provides her with work. But things take a distinctly sordid turn and people you thought friends prove not to be so trustworthy. In one particularly unpleasant scene, Amira is effectively raped (at least, coercively forced to have sex).
Fatma Sfarr really demonstrates her acting range during these difficult scenes – a very impressive acting performance.
Tunisia: the land of Tatooine!
One of the stars of the film, at least in the early parts of it, is Tunisia itself. The sweeping desert landscapes and impressive mountainous roads are beautifully captured by the DoP (who I can’t immediately see a credit for on IMDB).
A Shit Deal for Women.
The film pleasantly reminds you of the liberal freedoms that we have in the West compared to many other countries.
At home in Tozeur her parents are lining Aya up for an arranged marriage with an “older” but richer man. (Aya is panicked that she will be found to no longer be a virgin and desperately enquires about “hyman reconstructive surgery”)
Later in a Tunis club, Amira gets into trouble merely by smiling at another man. She is accused of effectively prostituting herself. Things get out of hand and the situation goes from 0 to 60 in 2 seconds, resulting in a tragedy that leads us into the third ‘film within the film’.
In general, Aya/Amira seems to be expected to ‘be’ with men many years her senior.
A Tunisian Serpico
This third section of the film is different again, filled with police corruption and cover-ups and Amira is dragged kicking and screaming into the middle of it. I felt so frustrated seeing her start to dig a big hole for herself and then keep on going! She falls into the orbit of police investigator Nouri (Badis Galaoui) who has his own axe to grind. Is Nouri a friend or a foe to Aya/Amira?
A satisfying finale.
The ending of the story is well wound up by director Mehdi Barsaoui’s story and I found it to be immensely satisfying. Where does the title “Aïcha” come from? Ah, that would be telling, but you have to wait until the very end of the film to find that out!
Triggers
The film contains a scene of sexual violence that might be triggering for some viewers.
Summary Thoughts on “Aïcha”
An entertaining and engaging film that constantly kept me guessing. It’s intriguing that the story is “based on true events after the Tunisian revolution, although I’m unclear which bits are real. (I suspect it is an amalgam of different true elements, manhandled with a bit of license!).
For me, the second half of the film is not as good as the first half (I have seen too many police corruption-type films over the years). But this was still a solid second feature from the Tunis-born director Mehdi Barsaoui.
Where to Watch it (Powered by Justwatch)
Trailer for “Aïcha”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-WM_lZk93Q . Note that this gives away the “incident” that allows Aya to flee her old life…. I personally enjoyed being completely surprised by that by going in cold.
Subscribe
Don’t forget, you can subscribe to One Mann’s Movies to receive future reviews by email right here. No salesman will call!
