Thala My Love

2011, Tunisia. The Arab Spring has started. People are demanding their rights, among them Houria, a seamstress working in a factory. Mohamed, her former boyfriend, manages to escape from prison. He tries to find her in the turmoil. His plan is to move to Algeria. But Houria wants to change Tunisia. Thala mon amour is thus a tale about getting involved or keeping private. The question is mirrored by an elderly couple, a midget and his quarrelsome wife. As someone who does not know Arab culture intimately, there are some difficulties, especially when the midget speaks. It is not easy to decide, if he mode of speaking is realistic or just bad acting. (I wish, I had someone with whom I could discuss such questions.) The camera work is a very shaky hand-held camera. Many fast camera movements, especially in indoor scenes are simply to enervating. This film gives an idea about the Arab Spring from within. This is the most interesting about it.