Arab Blues
“”
Selma, a psychoanalyst, deals with a cast of colorful new patients after returning home to Tunisia to open a practice.
[tracker]
VOTES: 101
VOTES SCORE: 6.2
GENRES: Comedy,Drama
STATUS: Released 2020-02-12
LANGUAGE: العربية,Français
Additional Info: France,Tunisia Kazak Productions,ARTE France Cinéma,Diaphana Films,MK2 Films
Arab Blues (A Couch in Tunis) is an instantly likeable film. Its opening shot – about an old man’s description of who Sigmund Freud might be from his looks – is charming and so is the story that succeeds it of a young woman (Golshifteh Farahani) coming back to her homeland, Tunisia, from Paris to start a psychoanalysis practice. She knows she will be looked down for it, a testament that she immediately gets from her uncle. But she is independent, courageous, and gritty, and so the film begins. I absolutely loved all the characters and their performances here, especially Farahani, Feryel Chammari, and Aïsha Ben Miled. Each actor is better than the other and I had a sweet time looking at them, delivering beautiful dialogues and acting like it’s real life. The social critique is pregnant here but Arab Blues projects itself as a lively comedy about a woman’s struggle in modern-day Tunis, a state still marred by backward beliefs and customs, something that is common everywhere. With a supporting soundtrack, adequate humour, and the ability to keep you engaged, Arab Blues is easily one of the most pleasant comedies you will see this year. Glad I sat down and considered EUFF. **Grade A-**.
(Watched at the 2020 European Union Film Festival of India (EUFF).)