21 year-old Mariam attends a party at a discotheque on the grounds of her school, during which her dress tears and she has to borrow a more revealing outfit from a co-student. In the darkness of the party she meets a handsome, young man named Youssef. Together they head to the beach for a walk, which ends with Mariam being raped by two police officers passing by. Mariam and Youssef spend the rest of the night in a fight for justice at the police station, a private clinic, and a public hospital. The two are thrown around in an unruly system where people would rather protect their own interests than help a woman who has been raped.

Beauty and the Dogs consists of nine scenes, each filmed in a long take; an effective move that adds to the sense of authenticity and closeness to everything that happens. You can almost smell the cold hospital corridors, the sweat of people dancing, and the leather draping the back seats of cars. Director Kaouther Ben Hania succeeds in challenging aspects of the Tunisian society dominated by conservative, patriarchal forces. In her international directorial breakthrough, she shows herself as a brave voice in Arab cinema.

The film is supported by Sørfond. Beauty and the Dogs is co-produced by Jørgen and Nefise Özkal Lorentzen from Integralfilm AS.

Kaouther Ben Hania (b. 1977) is a Tunisian director and writer. She has previously directed short films and two feature films, including the mockumentary Challat of Tunis (2014). Beauty and the Dogs was selected to screen at the 2017 Cannes festival, as one of two Arab films in the official programme.

Original title Aala Kaf Ifrit

Year 2017

Director Khaled Walid BARSAOUI, Kaouther Ben HANIA

Screenplay Kaouther Ben HANIA

Cinematography Johan HOLMQUIST

Cast Mariam AL FERJANI, Ghanem ZRELLI, Noomen HAMDA

Runtime 1h 39m

Links IMDb