Who Do I Belong To
Mé el Aïn ماء العين
Viewer Advice: Contains themes of sexual violence.
In this evocative and ethereal mystery, a soothsaying matriarch wrestles with the darkness when her jihadist son returns from Syria.
On a farm in the remote north of Tunisia, Aïcha lives with her husband Brahim and their youngest child Adam. Gifted with dreams that foretell the future, she is racked with anguish after her other sons Mehdi and Amine leave to fight for ISIS in a violent conflict in Syria. When Mehdi returns home with a mysterious and pregnant wife in tow, the village is turned upside down in a series of unsettling events – and Aïcha is torn between her love for her son and her need to face the turmoil gripping the community.
Expanding on the themes of her Oscar-nominated short film Brotherhood, which won MIFF 2019’s Grand Prix for Best Short Film, Tunisian-Canadian director Meryam Joobeur’s haunting debut feature weaves together elements of macabre mystery, political provocation and supernatural suspense. Screening in competition at the Berlinale and propelled by Salha Nasraoui’s powerfully stoic rendition of a woman trapped by circumstances beyond her control, Who Do I Belong To is an intriguing, visually arresting drama that challenges and beguiles in equal measure.
“Joobeur shows an impressive mastery of craft and an eye for striking imagery … A distinctive female take on traditional masculine themes of war and radicalisation.” – Screen Daily
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