THE REPENTANT (El taaib / Le repenti, 2012)

Reintegration and post-conflict reconstruction processes

Algeria-France. Direction: Merzak Allouache. Production: Yacine Djadi, Jacques Bidou, Marianne Dumoulin / Baya Films, JBA Production. Screenplay: Merzak Allouache. Photography: Mohamed Tayeb Laggoune. Edition: Sylvie Gadmer. Cast: Nabil Asli, Adila Bendimerad, Khaled Benaissa. Running time: 87 min

LANGUAGE: Arabic / SUBTITLES: Basque, English

Algeria, the high plateau region. Uncompromising Islamic groups continue to sow terror. Rashid, a young Islamic terrorist, decides to leave the mountain region and return to his village. Under the “law of pardon and national harmony”, he must make himself known to the police and hand over his weapon to benefit from amnesty and become a “repentant”. But the law doesn’t erase crimes, and Rashid sets out on a voyage of no return laced with violence, secrets and manipulation.

Latest film from the prestigious Algerian moviemaker Merzak Allouache, one of the greats of Maghrebi cinema, director of titles like Omar Gatlato (1977), Bab El-Oued City (1994) and Salut cousin! (1996).