Papicha

It's late 90's Algiers. There are constant terror attacks. Security forces are at high alert. Religious conservative groups are pushing women to cover up and pushing the country into an Islamic state. Nedjma (Lyna Khoudri) and her friends are fashion students who are still trying to maintain their western lifestyle. After her friend gets murdered, she decides to host a fashion show in defiance.

This is one stressful movie. The pressures placed upon Nedjma are unbearable. Lyna Khoudri is a magnetic beautiful actress. It's a devastating story. The last act is tough to watch. I'm uncertain about the ending. Obviously, the filmmaker wants to leave some hope. I can buy that but I'm not completely satisfied here. Nevertheless, it's a very good story and I'm taken with Lyna.

Excellent Algerian film on the advancemeny of religious fundamentalism in the country and about mysoginy. Very important as that phenomena also happens in other parts of the world and, as a Brazilian, I assure that not only in islamic countries. It is well filmed and there is a good development of interesting characters.

Papicha is a powerful movie. Harsh and brutal, yet sometimes sweet and joyful despite the cruelty around the characters.

Papicha tells us never to give up. It's a cry of hope and resistance. A true gem.

Algeria's submission to the 92nd Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film focuses on a girl who longs to go into fashion amid the country's civil war, with Islamist militias targeting "immodest" women.

Mounia Meddour's "Papicha" has both lighthearted scenes and intense ones, never losing the audience's attention in addressing the fear under which Algeria's women have to live. It's sad that Algeria spent over a century under French occupation - including a war of independence during which French forces tortured prisoners - and then after independence the ruling party nullified an unfavorable election result, leading to civil war (in fact, it was only twenty years ago this month that the war ended).

All in all, good movie. Lead actress Lyna Khoudri more recently appeared in "The French Dispatch".

A film about the overwhelming intolerance for the right to live freely as a woman - this outstanding and intelligent piece of cinema reveals the oppression of women in Algeria circa 1997. Lyna Khoudri is incredible, and so it is that women are still treated like this in far too many places in the world today. Vote no and acknowledge your ignorance, prejudice and misogyny.