FOUR DAUGHTERS
Genre
Documentary
Running time
110 minutes
Year
2023
Language
Arabic
Subtitle
English
Country
France, Saudi Arabia, Germany and Tunisia
Director
Kaouther Ben Hania
Bio
Producer
Habib Attia, Nadim Cheikhrouha, Thanassis Karathanos, Martin Hampel
Cast
Hend Sabri, Olfa Hamrouni, Eya Chikhaoui, Tayssir Chikhaoui, Nour Karoui, Ishrak Matar, Majd Mastoura
Scriptwriter
Jean-Christophe Hym, Qutaiba Barhamji, Kaouther Ben Hania
The Chikhaoui family hit the news in 2016 when two of the formidable Olfa Houmani’s four teenage daughters left Tunisia to fight with Daesh in Libya. Speaking to camera in Ben Hania’s remarkable docufiction, Olfa sometimes blames the government - for allowing jihadist preachers to push their views - and sometimes blames her own harsh, often cruel brand of smother love as the director burrows into this divided family’s painful dynamic. Two actors play the fugitive rebels in scenes recreating the past, while the younger girls play themselves; Olfa sometimes speaks for herself and sometimes watches as star Hend Sabry stands in for her. Shown in competition in Cannes.
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