Malfamé

In the 1980s, a family of Algerian origin set off from Parisian Suburb Asnières-sur-Seine in France towards Marseille to take the ferry to Algeria. Lydia is spending her first summer without her big sister, who has just gotten married. The father promises his children that they will discover a wonderful country that he has always been homesick for. In the rickety vehicle they are travelling in, there is an atmosphere of joy and excitement, freedom and nostalgia. But the mood in the small, cramped van quickly turns negative as the father becomes more and more annoyed and patriarchal the closer they get to their destination.

The routines of two women fuse together as their similar gestures get repeated over time. Their hands intersect through their shared memory one movement at a time. The daily routine of Hayat in her absolute loneliness builds as she tries to recollect memories of her grandmother. We observe both their lives separately, the gestures of both women seem to be in an ongoing, subtle dialogue. The rhythm of the events slowly forms itself as their days go by. Eventually, the bond between them unravels the motherly love that unites them.