The Damned Don’t Cry

Film details

Film TitleThe Damned Don’t Cry
Suitability
Genre
Length110mins
Year2023
CountryBelgium, France, Morocco
DirectorFyzal Boulifa
ActorsAïcha Tebbae, Abdellah El Hajjouji, Antoine Reinartz
LanguageArabic, French
AKALes damnés ne pleurent pas
Showings

Fatima-Zahra and her teenage son Selim move from place to place, forever trying to outrun the latest scandal she’s caught up in. When Selim discovers the truth about their past, Fatima-Zahra vows to make a fresh start. In Tangier, new opportunities promise the legitimacy they each crave but not without pushing the volatile mother-son relationship to the breaking point.

The performances are full-blooded and lived in; the camera finds a painterly beauty even in moments of despair and squalor.

There’s a fable-like quality to a story in which the best intentions of both characters somehow produce the worst outcomes for each.