The Damned Don’t Cry
Fatima-Zahra and her teenage son Salim lead uneasy lives, constantly on the move to avoid their latest scandal. Their relationship is further strained as Salim learns of his mother’s past, but without anyone else to turn to they carry on. As Salim’s hunt for a job takes him to unexpected places and his world changes drastically, mother and son find themselves on a collision course where each uncovered lie makes room for another one.
A somber coming-of-age drama, The Damned Don’t Cry is a subdued yet biting portrayal of a mother and son both facing their demons, accompanied by an unsettling, award-winning score by Nadah El Shazly.
«In its fusion of Sirkian Hollywood melodrama with the high-key emotionalism of Arabic soap opera and a more austere strain of European arthouse realism — with Pasolini’s “Mamma Roma” another clearly quoted influence — this haunting, peculiar and often expressly queer story of social isolation and outsider survival feels like Boulifa’s own moving, idiosyncratic way of threading the components of his cultural identity.» - Guy Lodge, Variety
Jenny Lund
Director
Fyzal Boulifa (b. 1985) is a British-Moroccan director and writer. His short film The Curse (2012) received a BAFTA nomination and the Illy-prize at the Cannes Film Festival. He later received the same prize for the short RATE ME (2015). The Damned Don’t Cry is his sophomore feature after his debut Lynn + Lucy (2019).
This film is part of
Original title الملعونون لا يبكون
Country France, Belgium, Morocco
Year 2022
Director Fyzal Boulifa
Screenplay Fyzal Boulifa
Cinematography Caroline Champetier
Producer Clément Lepoutre, Olivier Muller, Gary Farkas
Cast Abdellah El Hajjouji, Aicha Tebbae, Antoine Reinartz
Production Company Kasbah Films, Vixens, Frakas Productions
Distribution Charades
Runtime 1h 50m
Language Arabic, French
Subtitles English
Genre Drama
Format DCP
Age limit 12
Links IMDb
This film is in competition for the Audience Award.