DERRIÈRE LES PALMIERS (BEHIND THE PALM TREES)

Credits

Name: DERRIÈRE LES PALMIERS (BEHIND THE PALM TREES)

Country: Marokko/FR

Year of publication: 2025

Format: DCP

Format Canvas:

Color: color

Language : OmeU

Duration: 100 Minuten

Series: 23. Afrika Film Festival Köln

Direction: Benm’Barek, Meryem

Abstract

Mehdi, a young man from a comfortable middle-class family in Tangier, works for his father’s construction company after failing to realize his ambitions of becoming an architect. He shares a tender relationship with Selma, which grows more serious as marriage enters the picture. However, when he meets Marie, the wealthy daughter of a French family, new social circles and freedoms open up to him. Torn between love, ambition, and societal pressures, Mehdi finds himself increasingly conflicted. Meryem Benm’Barek’s second feature explores class divisions, social expectations, and Morocco’s postcolonial relationship with France. With a keen eye for detail, she highlights social inequalities and the fragile façade of openness and tolerance.