Back Home (2006)

A peine sorti de prison, Kamel (Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche) est expulsé vers son pays d'origine, l'Algérie. Cet exil forcé le contraint à observer avec lucidité un pays en pleine effervescence, ... See full synopsis »

Director:

Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche

Writers:

Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche, Louise Thermes

Stars:

Meriem Serbah, Abel Jafri, Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche

3 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Meriem Serbah	...	Louisa (as Meryem Serbah)
Abel Jafri	...	Bouzid
Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche	...	Kamel
Meriem Ameur-Zaïmeche	...	La mère
Larkdari Ameur-Zaïmeche	...	Le père
Soheb Ameur-Zaïmeche	...	Le fils de Louisa
Farida Ouchani	...	Loubna
Ramzy Bedia	...	Le mari de Louisa
Abdel Rachid Ameur-Zaïmeche	...	Un patriote
Benjala Ameur-Zaïmeche	...	Un patriote
Cherif Ameur-Zaïmeche	...	Un patriote
Faudel Ameur-Zaïmeche	...	Un patriote
Mouloud Ameur-Zaïmeche	...	Un patriote
Rachid Ameur-Zaïmeche	...	Un patriote
Razak Ameur-Zaïmeche	...	Un patriote

Storyline

A peine sorti de prison, Kamel (Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche) est expulsé vers son pays d'origine, l'Algérie. Cet exil forcé le contraint à observer avec lucidité un pays en pleine effervescence, tiraillé entre un désir de modernité et le poids de traditions ancestrales.

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Genres:

Drama

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User Reviews

Bled Number One, a good story but lacks depth

This movie was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Festival 2006. Kamel is a French-Algerian who is deported back to Algeria straight after being released from prison. Kamel is a lonely soul who suddenly gets caught in the middle of an Algerian society undergoing a fundamental change. His cousin Bouzid was found drunk and beaten to near death by a group of local Islamists who impose their belief on the villagers. Kamel's other cousin Louisa leaves her husband and comes to her parent's house, she wants to sing but her husband refuses to let her, he beats her and kidnaps their son. Kamel and Louisa connect in a strange way but their relationship never takes off. Kamel joins a small militia determined to put the violent Islamists in their place while Louisa embarks on a journey to find her son.

The movie tackles some ancient traditions where much is decided by the village's gossip rather than any other logic. It also shows the desire of some people to break free of those rules and the reality of being a women in such a society.

The movie style seems to be between a documentary and a film and never goes deep enough into the analysis of those restrictive traditions nor does it explain those events through dialogue. Most of what you learn is through the silence of the characters and by observing their gestures.

I think it is was not deep enough, it just touches the surfaces of the Algerian society, too much time spent on certain scenes where only few minutes would have been enough to understand the situation.

Details

Country:

Algeria France

Language:

French

Release Date:

7 June 2006 (France)

Also Known As:

Back Home

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$226,531

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sarrazink Productions, Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image Animée, Les Films du Losange

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color