Film guide 2019
Abou Leila
Two childhood friends cross the Sahara on a search that brings their own fear and fragility into view.
- Original title
- Abou Leila
- Director
- Amin Sidi-Boumédiène
- Year
- 2019
Editorial profile. Availability on LAREINE TV has not been confirmed.
Story, without spoilers
Algeria, 1994. Police officers S. and Lotfi leave the city to pursue a fugitive called Abou Leila. S. believes the desert holds an answer; Lotfi is preoccupied with protecting his friend from further bloodshed. Their journey gradually becomes entangled with the psychological consequences of violence.
Context & recognition
Amin Sidi-Boumédiène’s debut premiered in competition at Critics’ Week in 2019. The director uses shifting perceptions and the boundary between reality and dreams to explore trauma through the relationship between his two protagonists.
Main characters & cast
S.
Slimane Benouari
A vulnerable police officer consumed by the search.
Lotfi
Lyes Salem
His childhood friend, intent on keeping him away from the capital.
