The Sea Is Behind (Al Bahr Min Ouaraikoum) (Morocco: 2014)

Director

Hicham Lasri

Cast list

Malek Akhmiss (Tarik)
Fairouz Amiri (Dalenda)
Mohamed Aouragh (Murad)
Hassan Ben Badida (Daoud)
Salah Bensalah (Lotfi)
Najat Khairallah (The Veterinary)
Adil Lasri (Adil)
Yassine Sekkal (Mikhi)
Zineb Smaiki (Murad’s mother)
Hanane Zouhdi (Rita)  

Credits

Producers: Hicham Lasri, Michel Merkt
Executive producer: Ghislaine Querrien
Co-producers: Lamia Chraibi and Mickaël Clouet
Cinematography: Saïd Slimani
Film Editing: Abdesamad Chaouket
Casting: Amine Louadni, Jaafar Ameur
First Assistant Director: Rabii Said
Sound Recorder: Mohammed Awaj
Sound Editor: Patrice Mendez
Special Effects: Achraf El Kouhen, Ghislaine Querrien
Camera and Electrical Department: Souki Belghiti

Synopsis

The Sea is Behind follows the story of Tarik, a man who dresses as a woman and dances at weddings for a living, which is an old Moroccan tradition called H’dya. He lives in a land without color, a land where the water is contaminated by a strange phenomenon of “water bugs”, and anyone who drinks this water will be turned mad. He also lives in a world where being homosexual is considered a transgression. Tarik walks through life with indifference, showing little to no emotions, regardless of the events happening around him. His numbness haunts him deeply, and he expresses multiple times his desire for feeling anger and sadness, especially regarding the death of his children. The antagonist and villain Lotfi is revealed as the man who took Tarik’s wife, killed his children and took over his house. However, Tarik obeys this man blindly, his anger towards him failing to reach the surface and translate into action. The Sea is Behind questions gender roles and social stigma, since the notion of a man dancing clothed as a woman is a sight that used to be acceptable in Moroccan culture but is ridiculed and looked down upon in the present.

Reviews

Barlet, Olivier. “‘The Sea is Behind’, la Película Abrasadora de Hicham Lasri.” Afribuku, Cultura Africana Contemporanéa, 2016, http://www.afribuku.com/the-sea-is-behind-la-pelicula-abrasadora-de-hicham-lasri/ Accessed March 26, 2018.

Lefébure, Anaïs "‘The Sea is Behind’ de Hicham Lasri: Une tragi-comédie hors du temps.” HuffPost Maroc, 2015, https://www.huffpostmaghreb.com/2015/01/28/the-sea-is-behind-hicham-_n_6556514.html Accessed March 26, 2018.

Abbas, Ferhat. “The Sea is Behind.” Critikat, 2016, https://www.critikat.com/actualite-cine/critique/the-sea-is-behind/ Accessed March 30 2018.

Yanin Hakim Algharib

Other movies from Morocco made in

Title Country Year Director More infos
The Sea Is Behind (Al Bahr Min Ouaraikoum) Morocco 2014 Hicham Lasri
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