Aicha

A mother’s love is put through the wringer in Sanaa El Alaoui’s Aicha.

The connection that a mother (Hind Dafer) has with her daughter (Manal Bennani) in El Alaoui’s psychological horror is an intimate one. As they pair are driven apart by tragedy, the esoteric and supernatural seem to offer a genuine possibility for reconnection. Moroccan folklore and sharp commentary on contemporary gender-based violence go hand-in-hand in this film that was on the long-list for an Academy Award and will compete in the Arab Short Film Competition at Amman. It’s an expertly crafted look at mysticism and misogyny that is both beautifully shot, enigmatically structured and packs a wallop.

Early in the film, the daughter says to her mother that must experience the past, present and future “as if they were one thing” – and this is exactly how El Alaoui presents the narrative of her story, a kaleidoscopic exploration of trauma and grief whose very linearity has been shattered by their impact.Birth and death and love and violence all jostle for room as Aicha attempts to explore several key moments in a mother-daughter relationship that comes to be defined by male violence against women.

In the film’s climactic moment, its dramatic high point and moral nadir, the reality of the image is folded in on itself completely, lapsing into a monochrome animation that seeks to convey, in some small way, the horror and pain of what is happening. The audience comes to see some of the threads they’ve glimpsed already shift into clearer focus, the stark reality laid bare. Aicha feels like a wail of lament, but bristles with energy that might just see spiritual forces limbering up for vengeance.

Director, screenwriter: Sanne El Alaoui
Cast: Hind Dafer, Manal Bennani, Mohamed Amine Kihal, Kenza Fridou
Producer: Piotr Kaczorowski
Cinematography: Oskar Jan Krol
Editing: Michal Buczek
Sound: Chaouki Nani
Music: Prophan (Othman Cherradi)
Production design: Nabil Ghaouat
Animation: Tomek Popakul, Kasumi Ozeki
Production companies: Native Line (Morocco)
Venue: Amman Film Festival (Arab Short Film Competition)
In Arabic
26 minutes

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