Les Miennes

The youngest of five daughters of a Moroccan couple who immigrated to Belgium, Samira El Mouzghibati gathers her relatives in the living room of her parents, who have returned to Morocco, to break the silence surrounding traumatic family events. The filmmaker takes an incisive yet tender look at her mother, whose conservative values contrast sharply with those of her daughters. The filmmaker’s older sisters always told her that disobedience is a badge of freedom. Yet for the matriarch, true freedom lies in resisting cultural assimilation and sticking to traditional Muslim precepts—which she deeply regrets not being able to pass on to her daughters. This return to their roots is cleverly interwoven with VHS footage of the family's daily life and audio recordings, weaving an intimate mosaic of a close-knit sorority, wherein the mother always remains on the sidelines. (AJL)

competition : New Visions Competition

Les Miennes