Edinburgh – Dominion
November 27, 2024 @ 17:50
A teacher strives to foster a love of literature among her pupils in a Brussels school and encourages them to think for themselves, and to seek out other points of view. Amal (played by Lubna Azabal from The Blue Caftan) is under increasing pressure from a vocal minority of Muslim students and their parents who object to a lot of her teaching as pro-gay, and pro-freedom of speech. One girl in class is constantly bullied/harassed because the Muslim students believe she is gay. It all escalates and grows more confrontational when an Islamic studies teacher (Fabrizio Rongione) whose public face is one of tolerance and understanding, adds to the complications as he is secretly twisting minds and advocating sharia law. Compelling and vehement in its depiction of religious extremism.
"Belgian-Moroccan filmmaker Jawad Rhalib signs an uncompromising work that mixes fiction and documentary"
Subscribe to the French Film Festival UK newsletter
We’ll bring you our recommendations of the best Francophone titles, either on demand or in the cinema. We’ll also keep you up to date with all the latest happenings at the French Film Festival UK in November and December.