Hounds

A mission goes wrong for father and son in this Cannes winner, where the lines between right and wrong gradually blur. In the endless night, the duo must fight a desperate battle in Casablanca's dark backstreets.

Father and son live hand to mouth, doing odd jobs for the local mafia. One day, a kidnapping goes wrong, and they are caught in a long, bleak night filled with ever-new challenges. Together, they fight to make it through the night and out of the situation.

The film takes place in a Casablanca suburb, characterized by close shots and low-key lighting. The dark undertones, the colors, and the stark contrasts between light and dark reflect the theme and underscore the father and son's situation. Behind the cruelty and darkness, human relationships are also depicted.

Working from an assured, austerely-steered screenplay, Moroccan filmmaker Kamal Lazraq nourishes this tightly-paced oeuvre with a melange of mystery, likeable leads of head-shaking stupidity and the overall sense of dread and a full-on willingness to merge the comical with extremely dark detours in Les meutes (Hounds).»
– Eric Lavallée, IonCinema –

Christina Svien

Director

Kamal Lazraq (b. 1984) is a Moroccan filmmaker. He graduated from Le Femis in Paris and his graduation film Drari excelled during Cinefondation at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2014, his short film Moul Lkelb (The Man with the Dog) was produced by Barney Production, and awarded worldwide. Hounds is his first feature film.

This film is part of