Madame Courage

A modest, verite-style film that takes a while to start tackling its vast and complex subject. The Hollywood Reporter

This film is about the male role in a critical state, Algeria year 2015. Madame Courage is a nuanced frontal attack on the male role in the Arabic world. The film is about Omar and his problematic relationship towards the women in his life: his mother, his sister and the girl next door whom he falls in love with. Growing up in a culture of gender segregation, he feels helpless when falling in love and is not able to express anything but inappropriate physical advances. The style of the film is simple and documentary and has gotten great acceptance during the film festival in Venice. While many films from this region are about female position, it is refreshing to observe someone trying to illustrate sexual and frustrated Arabic men on screen, without sensationalism. The film has little dialogue, but gives a depth of psychological portrayal of Omar using intense and present use of camera and impressive achievement in acting.