The Sea is Behind

Marocco, 2014
Length
88 minutes
Director
Hicham Lasri
Cast
  • Malek Akhmiss
  • Yassine Sekkal
  • Mohammed Aouragh

Content

Tarik is unable to shed a tear about the loss of his children, or that his life is in ruins. Instead he
shrouds his moustache under a veil and sways his hips to the music as the procession moves down
the street. Tarik is a H’Dya, a traditional dancer who appears in women’s clothes. Tarik’s father,
who leads the parade down the empty Moroccan streets, bawls his eyes out when his beloved cart
horse Larbi refuses to go on, and combs his mane lovingly with his dentures. Tarik’s ex-wife’s bruiser
of a partner installs himself in Tarik’s toilet. And Tarik’s friend Murad is threatened and insulted on
account of his homosexuality. Was there really something in the water, as everyone claims? Or is
it all in Tarik’s mind?In his third feature film, Hicham Lasri tells us, in surreally beautiful black-andwhite
images, about traditions and trance, intolerance and violence, friendship and flesh and blood.
And about animal love – albeit possibly inappropriate. Aided by raucous Moroccan rock music, Lasri
composes a David Lynch-like state of intoxication to produce a truly modern Maghrebi cinematic
experience.
 

Gallery

Credits

Production company
LA PROD
Original title
Al bahr min ouaraikoum