SOULA
Salah Issaad, 90 min, Drama, in Arabic (Algerian dialect) with English and Arabic subtitles,
Algeria/France, 2021
RATED 18+
Soula, a young single mother, is rejected by her family in the name
of honour. Having nowhere to go when her father throws her out of
her home, she calls upon many friends and relatives for help. As she
embarks on a tumultuous 14-hour long journey, Soula’s goal is to
spare her baby daughter her pain and struggles. But everything and
everyone around her represents a potential threat and the line is
often blurred between those who want to help her and those who pull
her further into a spiral of violence. From Batna to Annaba, the
young woman hops from one car to another swaying in between moments
of exhilarating relief and banality with friends and moments of
great angst and solitude. Against a backdrop of soothing landscapes,
in a desperate yet breathtaking road trip, Soula heads towards her
inevitable destiny.
The movie is inspired by real events and the protagonist (Soula)
plays her own character in life.
The film has received the Black Iris Award for Best Arab
Feature-Length Narrative Film at the Amman International Film
Festival – Awal Film in its third edition. It has also won Best Film
and Best Actress at Malmo Arab Film Festival, Best Feature Film at
Beirut International Women Film Festival, Best Film at the African
Asian Latin American Film Festival (Milano – Italy) and Best Film
and Best Actress at Festival Oriental du Film de Genève.
Film Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ml1VV77tqUk
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