Bent Familia
1997
Arabic
Directed by: Nouri Bouzid
(105 mins) Aida and Amina are old friends who, now in their early thirties, have re-connected after a long separation. Their reunion provides an opportunity to examine their lives and relationships. Amina appears to be happily married while Aida has chosen divorce but still takes in male callers. Their friendship with the ambitious Fatiha, an Algerian refugee living in Tunisia, sparks a desire in the two friends to work at overcoming their respective societal limitations. While Fatiha is on the threshold of a new life in Europe, Amina searches for the strength to stand up to her overbearing husband. Relying on each others’ strength and energy, the three friends take charge of their lives in this moving examination of the power and beauty of friendship between women. “A sort of Tunisian A Doll’s House.” – Mark Harris, Vancouver International Film Festival.
In Arabic with English subtitles.