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When I hear some petulant tot in the Safeway market candy section whining because he can't have two candy bars, I want to plop the spoiled child in front of this film for about five minutes, which would be quite enough.

Director Ayouch mixes elements of children's stark gang life in modern day Casablanca with the hallucinatory dreams they have, and he creates a harsh and vivid tale built around three close pals who decide they must give their most recently murdered friend a decent burial--he was, after all their Prince, their leader, their compatriot. This may not sound like the stuff movie dreams are made of, and its not exactly a cheerer-upper, but the young actors are astoundingly real--and sometimes quite funny--and the willing viewer can be transported to another world within a world unlike anything you might find in Iowa

This is memorable film-making, examining a particular time and place-- in this case the Middle East--for it's universal elements; it isn't anywhere near the sweetness and light of The Sound of Music, but is perhaps a more honest immersion in human behavior.

This is an amazing film. It has to be up there with "City of God" and "Pixote" (Brazil), "At- The Horse" (Turkey), "Saalam Bombay" (India) and "Amores Perros" (Mexico) as well as the American documentary "Streetwise" as one of the best contemporary movies about poverty and the social repression and horrors it brings to its subjects. The film is engrossing, captivating, disturbing and harrowing on many levels. The film is also a remarkable fusion of Godard, gangster films and "Arabian Nights." A shocking thing happens to the film's title character at the outset of the film, and we are transported into a world that is both enchating and perilous as if we are traveling with Sinbad across the 7 seas. Alas, this is no fantasy and we are reminded of that all too suddenly and it is a power that haunts the viewer as the final credits roll. The film also reminds one of our great independent filmmakers, like Spike Lee and Jim Jarmusch in terms of applying simplicity to brilliant and stark primary and secondary characters thus allowing a documentary feel to float with the narrative. Alas, when one is from Morroco as this filmmaker is, it usually takes two or three major efforts like this before you are recognized as being a cinematic genius. One of the best African films I've seen, along with "Quartier Mozart" from Cameroon, and certainly worth one's time.

A variation on Hector Babenco's great 'Pixote' this follows the theme of abandoned street kids, being played by real street kids.

But "Ali" is much less gritty and naturalistic in style, if not story. Beautiful widescreen photography, some playful animated moments, and a slightly less despairing feel (although it's still pretty dark).

A young street boy is killed, and his friends try to figure out how to and his street friends try to figure out how to get him 'buried like a prince', hoping to give his sad, lost life some meaning in death. All the while they have to fend off attacks from the local street gang, find the boy's mother and let her know about her son's sad demise, etc.

Very well acted for the most part, and has it's share of touching, heartbreaking moments. But it also feels manipulative and 'moviesh' at others. Certainly a good film, if not quite at the level of it's ancestors.

This movie brings back memories of growing up in morocco, although the movie puts you in the front seat of the realities in real life much of this goes ignored by the rest of the populace. The feeling is of numbness to the harsh realities that these vagabonds have to go through. Most of these kids never make it to adulthood and if they do they are seriously psychologically ill. After watching this movie you will undeniably feel resentment to society and blame yourself for being part of it. Overall I think the movie was well directed, the characters were AMAZING (I hope that they get some type of recognition) some of the scenes are beautifully shot. Vote 10+ from my part

This movie is very easy to like. It's foreign, it's independent, about poverty and kids living on the streets and with actors in it that seem to be non-professionals. It's the sort of movie film festivals will love to show and while I have no problem at all with this sort of movies, I have to be fair and say that this movie really wasn't all that special to watch.

It's not making a big or important enough impact with anything. If this movie wanted to show the hard life of Moroccan kids, living on the streets in the big city, this movie surely failed at that. It's really not showing all that much of the problems and difficulties and this movie also surely isn't providing any answers or solutions to anything. You would expect this movie to make a statement about at least something but it really doesn't ever do so.

But also if the movie wanted to be like a random slice of life, it just isn't a good enough movie. The characters aren't all that interesting or likable and the story is lacking any good or interesting developments. There is no real conflict in this movie and after finishing it, you just don't have the feeling at all, that any of the characters had gone through any transition or anything for any of them had changed. You could say that it's a movie about nothing and it's going nowhere really. Or at least nowhere interesting or compelling enough.

I must admit that it was also mostly due to the actors that I just could never really get into the movie. To be frank, they were quite horrible at times. I'm pretty sure of it that non of these kids were actors and none of them had any form of experience yet. They mostly annoyed me, while the kids were still supposed to be the heart and center of the movie and it was important to really like them and care about them.

It's not a horrible movie, or a terribly done one but it just is one that isn't doing anything good or interesting with its story and its a lacking a good main premise, drama, characters and emotions. Really nothing all that special, though some people still obviously love it.

6/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

There's a saying in Morocco that says "A coincidence, is better than a thousand appointments." so how cool is it when the best movie that you've ever seen is the movie that you saw on your very first time to a cinema. I had 10 years old and there was this local movie that got everybody (grown-ups) talking about it, i remember it was a week-end me and my mom went to see my welthy aunt (we were lower class) and my nephew took me with him to the cinema.... I remember me after that movie going in streets like them kids (in the movie) and singing their song... now it's been 15 years and i have seen a lot of french and american movies but above them all stays "Ali Zaoua" as my personal best. I've lost count of how many times i've seen it again and again the movie is unbelievably realistic and heart-warming and whenever i see it, it gets me so nostalgic and reminiscing about my childhood... Another magic fact in my relation with this masterpiece is that the leading actor (Hicham Moussoune) was related to my neighbors and was about my age, so we were sort of "friends" we played in the street a time or two!! There were also great actors in this movie like "Saïd Taghmaoui" who became a hoolywood Star.

This is definitely one of the best films that i've seen lately. It tells the story of Moroccan street children who live in the filth of the gutters of present-day Casablanca. These homeless urchins, with a few exceptions, make up a gang of at least 75-100 kids who pick pockets, sniff glue and are led by Dib, a modern-day Fagin. A band of 3 ids, following a dreamer- Ali Zaoua, splits from this gang. When Ali is killed by a kid from the gang, the story begins.

We follow these children as they try to give Ali a funeral, and what we see in their world is at times terrifying, or at least extremely upsetting and unsettling. Part of what makes the film so effective is that the children are not actors- they are real street children. they are not Hollywood's dirty Orphan Annies, in pre-stained clothing and manufactured dirt- they are real. Dib is one of the few professional actors in the film. It is at times difficult to see because of this. Still, Ali Zaoua is an extremely good and possibly great film.

One of the most beautiful and moving movies I have ever watched! Magnificently directed and acted plus a superb plot. Should have been nominated and should have won an Academy Award. Believe me when I tell you few movies will leave you as shocked and sensitive as this one.

Only seldom have I seen a movie that's so realistic. It definitely has an enlighting influence on ones mind. The way you look at the world really does change after seeing those poor and yet so, in a heart-touching way, funny streetchildren. One of my top ten movies, I assure you !!

I recently saw this film at the Santa Barbara international film festival. I glanced over the brief summary, and the fact that it came from Morocco intrigued me. However, it started an hour after a movie I really wanted to see started. The movie I went to wasn't that great and I ended up sneaking out of that one and into Ali Zaoua. I'm now glad I did so because what I saw was one of the most brutally realistic and terrifying, yet beautiful and poetic, inspiring and redemptive movies I've ever seen.

This movie is not for the faint of heart. Since it takes place in the poverty of a third world country, in places where the homeless in America seem spoiled in comparison, this movie portrays the harsh realities these kids endure everyday to survive, whether from the world around them or each other, no matter what the cost. The actors seem casted right off the streets, bearing scars and other physical traces of the nightmares they live through. The fact that the characters are only small children forced to live lives that even an adult would have a difficult time with makes this movie even more powerful.

At times this movie seemed like a version of Lord of the Flies, but I can't go into that any more without potentially spoiling the movie (or Lord of the Flies for those who haven't seen the movie or read the book). All I will say, however, is that the movie doesn't center around what seems to be aspects from Lord of the Flies and has much more good points about it than bad ones, that the movie carries much further than these aspects.

I can't say enough about this movie. I've only seen it one time and now I can't seem to find it on video or DVD. I can only hope that it comes out on DVD and in widescreen format.

This film was excellent. I was amazed at the honest portrayal of how these poor children survive alone & uncared for, nobody seemed to care about their terrible situation, and I was saddened by the abuse and cruelty contained in the film both to the children and animals. I have been to Morocco, but did not see any street children & would never have guessed that there was such a problem if not for this film. I will certainly try to keep a track of future films made by this brave individual if this film is anything to go by as he is an honest film maker who does not think viewers need to be protected from the less prettier issues that are in this world. In fact I would like to say thank you to him for making such an interesting film in the first place.

Moroccan film, brilliantly powerful, about life of the streets for three young abandoned/runaway boys who wish to honor their dead friend by giving him a proper burial. This is not Humphrey Bogart's Casablanca; this is quite a bleak life for these kids. They sniff glue and try not to rejoin a brutal gang they want no part of. They try to avoid being raped... but sometimes it happens. Yet they have the will to survive. Depressing as it might be, the movie still has warmth and is extremely engaging. The boys' performances are out of this world good and the cinematography drew me in and never let me go. I do hope I will be watching this one again one day.

8.3 / 10 stars

--Zoooma, a Kat Pirate Screener

A sad and great movie about abandoned children in the streets of Morocco.

This was one of my favourite local films growing up alongside marok and casanegra.

I saw three good movies in a week (Sling Blade, Billy Elliot, and Ali Zaoua). Interestingly, children play significant roles in each. But I have to say that Ali Zaoua is the best.

The acting in this film is the best I've ever seen, perhaps because these kids were acting out their own life experiences, which makes it even more poignant. The film is brutally realistic, yet poetic and beautiful at the same time. It takes turns breaking your heart and mending it. It really is a film not to be missed.

It's the kind of movie that I like, when I saw the score for this movie, I almost got a heart attack, but what I wanted to say, I think this is a great story, (maybee such a low score because we don't realise the movie is playing today everywhere in the world) a dramatic story, but still it's dreamy, and I really didn't feel that bad after seeing it, I just knew what I had to do... It really got me thinking, and also the characters are played very good, (if you didn't know, this children are real 'princes of the road', and I really respect them. If u didn't see the movie, get it NOW!!!

The lyricism of the streets, this is a sad film about a Morrocan boy, his backstory, his death and his friends who elevate his life to meaningful.

The comparisons to "Lord of the Flies" are natural.

The kids are cruel, they follow a leader quickly, they don't understand some things an adult would immediately grasp, such as Ali's death.

Some of my favorite scenes include Kwita's romantic swoon over an older girl whose pocket he has picked, the tough Mr. Winston, who defends his cardboard home and storefront and the revelation that Dib, a deaf boy and leader of the rabble of kids, did care, was saddened by Ali's death and had planned a proper burial on his own.

Ali's relationship with his mother is told through a children's story, of two suns, an island, and a sailor at sea. It's magical, weaving at different times through illustration and back to life.

In a touching scene, we find that these are Ali's own childhood memories of a taped story, not his imagination. And we find that his mother has kept his room as he left it.

Why didn't she search for him? It doesn't seem possible that Ali's backstory is as true as the rest of the boys believe.

And we are left to believe what we want to. It's very likely we believe in the streets, the poverty, the cruelty, even if we believe that Ali may have had a choice and may have joined the streets from shame, not fear nor necessity.

This is a filmmovement title. Find it and see it.

I really liked Ali Zaoua and I would recommend it to anybody. Great acting performance from such young kids. It's really a must see. It's well directed and the photography is beautiful. An incredible vision about street kids living in the ruins of Casablanca and a story about friendship and a good lesson about life. Said Thagmaoui is very good who personify Dib, a street Thug who's bullying a big bunch of poor kids who are dealing with drugs problems and beg for money all day long. I voted a 10 for this movie, but if I could've vote 11, I would've done it for sure. I even let go a couple of tears at the end. I watched it with subtitles, I don't know if a dubbed version exists, but, trust me, you must see this movie...

It's a pity after this movie was produced for 15 years have I watched this touching masterpiece.Actually I was also a child at that time.It almost made cry for several times when I was watching it.The music is beautiful.It fits greatly with the story.The ending is also moving.I also have some questions: Did Morocco really have so many street children?Why and where were their parents?Are there still so many homeless children living on the streets nowadays?Just hope it is getting better.Though the movie may not be perfect.But it really touched my deep heart.It tells me that no matter who you are.There are always people who care about you.You have right to pursue your dreams.