After winning the César for Best First Film for Papicha, Tunisian filmmaker Mounia Meddour returns with Houria, again starring Lyna Khoudri, who won the César for Best Newcomer for Papicha. The film is due in cinemas on March 15.
A Franco-Arab film, Houria marks a new collaboration between the director and the actress, who has come a long way since her first film, which revealed her to the general public. Gagarine, Novembre, Nos Frangins, and soon Les Trois Mousquetaires, Lyna Khoudri is one of the faces of the new generation of French cinema.
Our opinion
If you were expecting an Algerian version of Cédric Klapish'sEn Corps, you may be in for a surprise. While Houria deals with the same theme - the resilience of a young ballet dancer after an injury - the two stories have absolutely nothing in common. Here, the social aspect of Algeria in the 2020s is paramount. The question of reintegrating ex-terrorists from Algeria's civil war is paramount. It's a delicate subject, which the Algerian authorities prefer to avoid. That's why, when an ex-terrorist attacks young Houria, the young woman finds herself almost on her own.
It was during her rehabilitation that she met a community of women, all traumatized by the tragedy they had experienced, and her life began to make sense again. She wants to give grace to these wounded bodies by making them dance. Houria is therefore an immensely political film, and many themes run through the story, beyond resilience. The protagonist's often harsh ordeals denounce a fragmented Algeria where it is still difficult to live peacefully. Between precariousness and insecurity, director Mounia Meddour 's grievances are numerous.
Lyna Khoudri is the perfect embodiment of these grievances. Despite her character's complete silence after her attack, the young woman once again proves herself to be one of the most talented French actresses of her generation. Her performance, combined with Mounia Meddour's direction, creates a real spark. We encourage you to discover this for yourself.
Algiers. Houria is a talented young dancer. A cleaning lady by day, she takes part in illegal gambling by night. But one night, when she has won big, she is violently assaulted by Ali and ends up in hospital. Her dreams of a career as a ballerina are dashed. She must now accept and love her new body. Surrounded by a community of women, Houria rediscovers the meaning of her life, using dance to rebuild and sublimate wounded bodies...
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