I found «Taht alshajra» a movie with a simple plot and yet endowed with some particularly beautiful moments. The women actors are wonderful and the landscape, which I assume is Tunisian, is touching. The narrative, however, proceeds in a rather slow manner and the impression is of an over-construction of the plot. The «story» is deeply human, but the engagement of the spectator is a bit left behind. The scenes under the fig trees are repetitive, even if repetition might be in this case a useful strategy. I also wish that the figure of the «capo» would be represented in a more forceful and perhaps convincing way. The female acting appeared to me as of a very high quality. I am wondering if the intention was to make a movie by women for women. Yet the balance of the sexes is good and deserves appreciation. I would like to expect other movies by the team that produced «Under the Fig trees." I celebrate in particular the positive representation of inter-human affectivity in a Muslim context. I recommend the movie to whoever who, besides being interested in themes related to cultural diversity can also relate to traditional ways of working the fields.
