Much Loved

This movie is about life of prostitutes in Morocco. Every fifteen minutes, someone f**ks someone. And there are some amazing things about it. The movie, by sheer means of visual storytelling, conveys how prostitutes can be loved, raped and abused, just like anyone else, even when all the three actions, on a physically level, are just sexual acts. You also get to see prostitution as just any job. You also see the challenges with this particular job - the boycott by family members and neighbours, feeling of loss of power with powerful clients / police etc. This movie offers a fine, realistic glimpse of the life of prostitutes in Morocco, portraying a very neutral look at their lives. You relate to them on many levels (good days at work, bad days at work, cracking jokes with friends, finding support and solace in friends in times of despair etc.).

Above are the things that I liked, but there are issues with the movie too. There are passages which feel either repetitive or longer than they need to be. As a feature length movie, it falters many a times in the 'pace' department. It just keeps randomly slowing down, now and then and that's some major turn off, for a movie that otherwise has so much visual stimuli to turn you on, quite literally.

To be surrounded and yet be alone. To be loved and yet be invisible. To be cast away even as you are embraced. Welcome to the life of a Moroccan prostitute. From the testimonies of 200 real-life sex workers, Nabil Ayouch defied censorship to provide a fascinating, intimate and luminous glimpse into the Moroccan underworld. The story follows the fictional yet realistic lives of four women caught up in a passive- aggressive world. Bribing the police, projecting beautiful yet fabricated images and living on the edge of a knife, they turn to each other in order to live. It is beguiling to see the dark side of Morocco and witness these surreal lives that are lonely and solitary even as they are crowded with attention and "love." The acting is capable yet the story and characters could use just a little more depth. Seen at the Toronto International Film Festival 2015.

I thing I missed the point of the movie.. Ok so there are prostitutes in Morocco.. And as always they have it hard.. But they enjoy it.. or not? So the one joins.. she aborted and the other say sometimes its better to have no kids than be a bad mum... and everyone keeps giggling.. I don't know.. I could not really get a feeling for the characters... It was extremely chaotic and playing to much on the emotions..

This movie shows in a very realistic form what is behind prostitution: the life and feelings of prostitute themselves. Some scenes are very crude, but there is no vulgarity or pornography in this movie; the reality which is presented is vulgar, the film is not. The intelligent aspect of this movie is that it doesn't impose any moral judgment: it only shows facts, people, the ones who pay for prostitution, the ones who take advantage of it (sometimes condemning it at the same time), the ones who accept it... Even if the reality of the four women and the man making their living by selling their body is often sad, the movie is not tearful; it is full of life, energy and some lines are even very funny. The three main actresses play with great talents these subtle and difficult roles.

I appreciate how un-judgmental Ayouch is in his 'Much Loved' – a portrait of 4 young prostitutes living together in Marrakech, going to parties with Saudi sheikhs to dance for and ultimate have sex with the men. At the same time they function as a kind of family to hold the world at bay and provide for each other the human tenderness all humans need. (Their real families have rejected them, or left Morocco or died)

The film making never feels exploitive or melodramatic. The life of a medium level hooker in Morocco is shown as neither glamorous nor the depth of hell. It's tough, it's sad, it's degrading, and yet it's clear the world isn't brimming with other ways for these women to make good money, and to live – kinda, sorta – on their own terms. It's also a powerful cry against the abuse of these women in particular but also all women (and gay men) in Morroccos patriarchal society.

On the other hand, I feel like I've been here before more artfully. For example, Paul Thomas Anderson explored how porn stars and crews became each others extended family in "Boogie Nights", but did it with more style, and ultimately more insight and emotion. Whether Lizzie Borden's 'Working Girls' or many other examples, this is hardly new territory if you're not digging deeper than this film does.

Clearly Ayouch is drawn to the outsiders on the edge of society. The three films of his I've seen dealt with; street urchins trying to bury a murdered friend, young boys being trained as terrorists, and now prostitutes. But there's more to exploring these worlds than being real and accepting. For me, all three films (the other two being "Ali Zaoua: Prince of the Streets" and "Horses of God") while admirable in intent, ultimately didn't go deep enough, and risk feeling like the movie equivalent of an old US 'liberal' TV movie. There's more to really understanding than a lack of moralistic preaching, or accepting the basic humanity of those whom some would deny.

Still, it's well acted, and I appreciated the nice touches of humor and humanity. I just wish it was great.