Making of

This is an exciting and innovative film from Tunisia. Making of first introduces us to a jolly group of friends who live in a coastal town and have definite dreams of a better future. A highly prominent character in the group is Bahta, a dancer. He has great visions of a better life in Europe, but lives a life of petty crime, unable to break loose. Then he becomes involved with a man with even greater visions and strict religious requirements. He wants to make a martyr out of Bahta, or a terrorist, depending on which side you are on.

But the movie we see is a movie about the experience of making that film. We meet a weary director making his very last film, and Lofti, who plays Bahta. The action is regularly interrupted by angry discussions between director and actor. These sequences are shot in a documentary style that heightens their believability. Nervous about where the action of the film is going, Lofti is not sure if he can manage to play Bahta. He thinks that the character is developing into a monster and becomes afraid of his own alter ego.

A courageous film on many levels, it shows that there are many sides to a situation. Not least, it is about integrity and how the brainwashing from a ”guru” can influence young and often underprivileged people. akl