“The Hymn of Brides”, the second full-length film of Karin Albou relates a striking story of friendship between two women

17/12/2008

"The Hymn of Brides" of Karin Albou Two Female Destinies in Pre-Independent Tunisia By Nariman Arfa "The Hymn of Brides", the second full-length film of Karin Albou relates a striking story of friendship between two women, both distressed by the Second World War in Tunisia. In Tunis, in 1942, two teenagers, Nour (Olympe Borval) and Myriam (Lizzie Brochere) grow together in the same house in a modest district where Jewish and Muslims live in harmony. Nour cannot marry before her fiancé Khaled (Najib Oudghiri) finds work. She is portrayed as being jealous of Myriam when it comes to education and freedom; nonetheless, Myriam envies Nour for her romantic rendezvous. When the German army enters Tunis, in November, Nazis impose on the Jewish community the bearing of the yellow star, forced work and fees to pay. Smothered by debts and deprived from work, Tita, the mother of Myriam (played by the scenario writer, Karin Albou), decides to marry her daughter to a rich doctor (Simon Abkarian). Played by two young actresses, "The Hymn of Brides" is before all a stunning story of friendship between two women. The story unfolds with delicacy as the scenario writer depicts the dreams and frustrations of the two adolescents exacerbated by war and subjugated by a patriarchal society which, by marrying the young women, dispossesses them of their destiny. The camera of Karin Albou comes up to the characters and encircles a partitioned female universe: the house and its interior court with the bluish woodworks where glances, jealousies, desires and larval hatreds circulate. Modest and strong, a scene of integral depilation of the pubis of the future bride mimics the violence of the defloration which will follow. If the evocation of the historical context remains discrete because of the lack of financial means, it sounds just better than many other large budget reconstitutions. French director, Karin Albou honored her Algerian origins in the medium-length film "Aïd el Kebir", award-winner at the Festival of Clermont-Ferrand. Albou lived in Paris before going to Tunisia to learn Arabic. Shot in Tunisia, "The Hymn of Brides", the second full-length film of Albou, comes three years after the success of her movie "The Small Jerusalem", which was selected at the International Week of Criticism in Cannes in 2005 and named for the Cesar of the Best Film of the following year. To write "The Hymn of Brides", Karin Albou has made research. "I spoke with many people who lived throughout that period. Some, like Nour, saved Jews and protected them; the majority did not do anything; others worked for the Germans ", said Karin Albou, taking from her pocket a notebook where she wrote down a number of notes. -Alarabonline-