Lilia has just lost her husband. In her efforts to adjust to a new way of life, she pours all of her attention into her teenage daughter Salma, a rebellious young girl who only seems to create stress in her mother's life. One night, while out looking for Salma, she stumbles into a belly dance cabaret bar. Naturally reserved by her upbringing, she is initially appalled by the discovery of such a place and the liberal culture that surronds it. But she can't help but feel a growing draw to it, a draw that results in a friendship with one of the belly dancers, who encourages her to try it out. In doing so, she discovers a side to herself she never knew existed, and finds a sense of freedom that she never belived she would ever have.
Directed by Raja Amari
Actors
- : Lilia
- : Salma
- : Béchir
- : Hela
- : le patron
- : Folla
- : Chokri
- : la voisine
- : Béchir
- : Hela
- : Lilia
- : le patron
- : Salma
- : Folla
- : Chokri
- : la voisine
Film Crew
- : Nomadis Images
- : Kaïs Rostom
- : Diane Baratier
- : Raja Amari
- : Frédéric de Ravignan
- : Raja Amari
- : Cyril Holtz
- : Nawfel El Manaa
- : Pauline Dairou
- : Diaphana
- : Arte France Cinéma
- : ADR Productions
Technical Information
- Color
- Arabic
Keywords
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...a fascinating examination of the joyous, turbulent self-discovery made by a proper, middle-aged woman, Lilia (Hiyam Abbas), who devises an elaborate alternate identity as a dancer at a cabaret.
Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune -
...a feel-good feminist fable that in its quiet way is almost as giddily optimistic as ''Dirty Dancing'' or ''Flashdance.''
Stephen Holden, The New York Times




