The Damned Don’t Cry

Fyzal Boulifa returns with this arresting melodrama – a rich, humane study of a co-dependent mother and son in hyper-conservative contemporary Morocco.

Teenager Selim (Adbellah El Hajjouji) and his mother Fatima-Zahra (Aïcha Tebbae) live in close quarters, constantly on the breadline and moving from place to place. When a trip to her family village reveals troubling secrets, the strength of their already-volatile bond is put to the test.

Remixing key elements of its 1950 Joan Crawford-starring namesake (and the narrative arc of Pasolini’s Mamma Roma) into a strange and sensuous story, The Damned Don’t Cry explores modes of transgressive sexuality, restrictive cultural expectations and the weight of colonial history. A boldly coloured and atmospheric film, tragic and beautiful, it recalls the work of Douglas Sirk and Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

Preview screening on 6 July followed by a conversation with director Fyzal Boulifa as part of SAFAR Film Festival

Film released at Ciné Lumière from 7 July

 

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About Fyzal Boulifa

Fyzal Boulifa is a British filmmaker of Moroccan descent. His first feature film, Lynn + Lucy (2020), won a collection of prizes at several international festivals. Fyzal was also nominated for a Critics’ Circle Film Award in 2021 for his directorial work on the feature.

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