27/01/2025 - Amel Guellaty's feature debut is a vibrant portrait of youth caught between tradition and the restless desire for freedom on the outskirts of Tunisia

The coming-of-age road movie Where the Wind Comes From [+see also:
interview: Amel Guellaty
film profile], Amel Guellaty's feature debut, which premiered in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition of the Sundance Film Festival, follows 19-year-old Alyssa (Eya Bellagha), an extroverted, impulsive firebrand determined to escape her sleepy hamlet on the outskirts of Tunis in search of better prospects. Her best friend, 23-year-old Mehdi (Slim Baccar), is the introverted, passive type, resigned to queuing for a public-service job to make ends meet.

Though Alyssa thrives on defying norms, she also bears responsibility for her younger sister while caring for her incapacitated mother, grieving the loss of her husband. Mehdi, by contrast, is content to follow the rules, though he, too, quietly dreams of a better life that would put his drawing talent to work. When Alyssa learns of an art competition that could take them both to Germany, she does everything in her power to push Mehdi to pursue the opportunity.

Guellaty, who previously worked as an assistant director for Olivier Assayas and Abdellatif Kechiche, first gained recognition for her 2017 short film Black Mamba, which followed a young woman’s quiet resistance to social expectations. In Where the Wind Comes From, she continues her thematic exploration of female agency and generational discontent, broadening the scope to examine a shared yearning for freedom. Both works reflect on the collision between tradition and modernity in contemporary Tunisia.

After Mehdi’s surrealistic portrait of Alyssa earns him a place in the art competition, Alyssa insists on accompanying him on a road trip to the announcement ceremony. Their journey, traversing the sun-drenched landscapes of southern Tunisia, begins as a light-hearted buddy comedy, but gradually turns into an increasingly intense road trip, culminating in cabin fever-style confrontations and emotional reckonings. As buried traumas resurface, Alyssa and Mehdi’s longstanding friendship is tested, forcing both characters to confront their identities and reassess their perspectives on life.

Although Where the Wind Comes From offers a generational portrait, Guellaty avoids heavy-handed social commentary. The pervasive influence of patriarchal norms is keenly felt, particularly in Alyssa’s desire to forge her own path beyond the constraints of gender expectations. Both characters are dreamers, but while Alyssa channels her pragmatism and manual skills into action, Mehdi is hampered by overthinking and social conformity, which limit his potential. Their shared journey reveals the ways they are both trapped, Alyssa by emotional blocks and Mehdi by tradition. Each must grapple with questions of displacement, at once social, psychological, and physical. 

Guellaty’s debut addresses the difficulties faced by Tunisia’s younger generation torn between tradition and the search for a better future through the lens of youthful rebellion, restlessness, and hope. While Where the Wind Comes From situates itself within the realm of youth cinema, Guellaty infuses the story with a comedic touch that lightens its heavier themes. However, as the film progresses, the tone shifts to a more sombre reflection on the emotional and social hurdles confronting its characters. Guellaty largely avoids traditional tropes, and she only briefly dips into the melodrama that comes with the tempestuousness of youth.

In the liminal space between adolescence and adulthood, Where the Wind Comes From captures the uncertainty, recklessness, and hope of young people on the cusp of transformation. Guellaty balances an energising story with a thoughtful acknowledgement of the difficult choices her characters face, offering a portrait of a lost generation that wants to reinvent itself.

Where the Wind Comes From was produced by Atlas Vision (Tunisia) and co-produced with Haut Les Mains Productions (France). Films Boutique handles the international sales.