Behind the Mountains

For the Brutus album, see Behind the Mountains (album).
Behind the Mountains
Directed byMohamed Ben Attia
Screenplay byMohamed Ben Attia
StarringMajd Mastoura
CinematographyFrédéric Noirhomme
Edited byLenka Fillnerova
Music byOlivier Marguerit
Release date
  • 2023 (2023)
LanguageArabic

Behind the Mountains (Arabic: ورا الجبل, romanized: Oura el Jebel, French: Par-delà les montagnes) is a 2023 supernatural drama film written and directed by Mohamed Ben Attia.

The film premiered at the Horizons section of the 80th edition of the Venice Film Festival.

Plot

Cast

  • Majd Mastoura as Rafik
  • Walid Bouchhioua as Yassine
  • Samer Bisharat as the Shepherd
  • Helmi Dridi as Wejdi
  • Selma Zeghidi as Najwa
  • Wissem Belgharek as Oussama

Production

The film is an international co-production between Tunisia, Belgium, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.[1] It was co-produced by the Dardenne brothers.[2] It has been described as 'the culmination of an informal trilogy from Mohamed Ben Attia', consisting of director's previous efforts Hedi (2016) and Dear Son (2018).[1]

Release

The film premiered at the Horizons section of the 80th Venice International Film Festival.[3][4] It was later screened in other festivals, including the BFI London Film Festival,[5] the Red Sea International Film Festival,[6] the Gothenburg Film Festival, the Marrakech International Film Festival[7] and the Thessaloniki International Film Festival.[5]

Reception

According to Screen International critic Lee Marshall the film is 'a striking piece of filmmaking that lingers stubbornly in the mind' and a 'further proof of the current vitality of North African cinema'.[2] Carlos Aguilar from Variety described it as an 'unorthodox, yet fascinating [...] unpredictable oddity of a film'.[8] Libération critic Laura Tuillier referred to it as 'often untidy, messy and bordering on the ridiculous, [...] yet rich in its narrative daring, and in its hot-headed approach'.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b Katz, David (8 September 2023). "Review: Behind the Mountains". Cineuropa. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  2. ^ a b Marshall, Lee (5 September 2023). "'Behind The Mountains': Venice Review". Screen International. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  3. ^ Balaga, Marta (4 September 2023). "Mohamed Ben Attia Believes a Man Can Fly in Venice Film Festival's 'Behind the Mountains'". Variety. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  4. ^ Abbatescianni, Davide (7 September 2023). "Mohamed Ben Attia delves into mental health with film about a flying man". The National. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  5. ^ a b Dalton, Ben (4 December 2023). "Venice Horizons title 'Behind The Mountains' scores France distribution deal". Screen International. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  6. ^ Mullally, William (30 November 2023). "Award-winning filmmaker Mohamed Ben Attia discusses 'Behind the Mountains' set to screen at RSIFF". Arab News. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  7. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (2 November 2023). "Marrakech To Open with Richard Linklater's 'Hit Man' As Festival Unveils 2023 Line-Up". Deadline. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  8. ^ Aguilar, Carlos (2 December 2023). "'Behind the Mountains' Review: Unpredictable Tunisian Oddity Blends Social Realism With the Ability to Fly". Variety. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  9. ^ Tuillier, Laura (9 April 2024). "«Par-delà les montagnes», père courage en Tunisie". Libération (in French). Retrieved 29 May 2024.