Dunya & Desie (2008)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Dana Nechushtan

Writer:

Robert Alberdingk Thijm (writer)

Release Date:

16 April 2008 (Belgium)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Morocco | Multicultural | Pregnancy | Puberty | Cultural Difference

Awards:

2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Maryam Hassouni	...	Dunya El-Beneni
Eva van de Wijdeven	...	Desie Koppenol
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Alix Adams	...	Mrs. Schakel
Ilias Addab	...	Samir
Mahjoub Benmoussa	...	Nabil El-Beneni
Tygo Gernandt	...	Pim
Micha Hulshof	...	Maik
Rachida Iaallala	...	Kenza El-Beneni
Nezha Karim
Philipp Keese
Theo Maassen	...	Jeff Schouten
Marcel Musters	...	Hans Schakel
Iliass Ojja	...	Souffian 'Zoef' El-Beneni
Abdullah Ahmed Saleh	...	Dunya's grandfather
Habiba Tribou		(as Habibi Triboe)
Matthijs van de Sande Bakhuyzen
Christine van Stralen	...	Monique Koppenol

Also Known As:

Dunya & Desie in Marokko (Netherlands) (working title)

Runtime:

Germany:98 min (Berlin International Film Festival)

Country:

Netherlands | Belgium

Language:

Dutch | Arabic

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

Netherlands:AL

Filming Locations:

Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Company:

Lemming Film

Trivia:

The Netherlands' 2009 Academy Awards official submission to Foreign-Language Film category.

Goofs:

Continuity: On the beach, when Desie grabs her clothes and storms off, she leaves one of her slippers. Yet in the next shot, she is seen walking away with both slippers on.

Quotes:

Dunya El-Beneni: I have to go to Marocco Saturday.
Desie Koppenol: To Marocco, why?
Dunya El-Beneni: They want me to meet a cousin...
Desie Koppenol: Meet a cousin? Why?
[she realises it's a guy Dunya most likely has to marry]
Desie Koppenol: No?
Dunya El-Beneni: Yes...
Desie Koppenol: No?
Dunya El-Beneni: Yes...
Desie Koppenol: Again a cousin... How many times to I have to tell you, you'll get messed up kids!
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Allemaal film: Betere tijden (#1.9)" (2007)

Predictable but Entertaining

Dunya & Desie threads a path already taken by many other films, arguably more successfully. The central theme is that of the cultural differences between different generation of immigrants. In this case the immigrants are a family of Muslim Moroccons living in Holland. Their daughter Dunya's best friend is Desie, a very liberated and promiscuous girl. Dunya's mother is horrified by Desie's behavior and forbids Dunya from associating with her. The story, and the film, only comes alive when Dunya goes back with her family to Morroco to meet a cousin whom Dunya's parents have arranged for her to marry and Desie follows her to find her own father who also lives in Morrocco.

While Dunya & Desie does not break any new ground, it is nevertheless very entertaining and full of lighthearted moments. It has a very capable cast and should particularly go down well with teenagers.