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“Aïcha” explores life as a working-class woman in contemporary post-revolution Tunisia, a nation grappling with its fractured identity and deep-rooted social inequalities. Directed by Egyptian director Mehdi Barsaoui (Un Fils), the film centers on Aya Dhaoui (Fatma Sfar), a 30-year-old woman from a traditional village in southern Tunisia. Her story is of survival and self-reinvention, set against economic despair, patriarchal oppression, and a changing yet consistently oppressive society.
Director: Mehdi Barsaoui
Year: 2024
Country: Tunisia, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Qatar
Runtime: 102 minutes
The film begins by grounding itself in the harsh realities of village life, where poverty, hard work, and traditional values dominate. Aya, working at a local hotel, lives a life where every task is an uphill battle. In mundane yet telling moments, such as cleaning the room of a wealthy influencer who leaves her a meager tip, Barsaoui paints a strong portrait of the social hierarchy of the working class. Aya’s interactions with her debt-ridden parents, who see her as a solution to their financial struggles, reveal the crushing expectations placed on women to alleviate familial burdens. The suggestion of marrying an older, wealthy, but undesirable man to escape poverty presents the limited choices available to women in her position, as part of the social constraints that suffocate rural communities.
Aya’s complex relationship with Youssef, a senior at her hotel, further elaborates on the power dynamics at play in terms of both class and gender. In a private encounter, after he has just fired most of her co-workers due to cuts, Youssef embraces her, revealing to the audience a four-year affair marked by false promises made to Aya of a better life in Tunis. The film captures the tension between desire and despair, exposing how promises of liberation are often mere illusions in a society where women are continually restrained by social norms and economic dependence.
When Aya becomes the sole survivor of a shocking bus accident, Barsaoui uses this twist of fate to delve deeper into the themes of rebirth and identity. Declared dead by the authorities, Aya grabs the opportunity to escape her past, adopting a new identity as Amira. She moves to Tunis, a city that, at first glance, seems to radiate with modernity and freedom. Through Aya’s eyes, Barsaoui presents a stark contrast between the traditional confines of Tozeur and the seemingly liberal atmosphere of Tunis. The city, with its nightlife, diverse expressions of sexuality, and modern sensibilities, initially appears to offer the autonomy and escape Aya longs for.
However, “Aïcha” shatters the fantasy of the city as a utopian place of freedom and progress. Instead of aligning with the glamorized view Aya initially holds of the city, the film exposes how the apparent glamour and liberal aesthetics of urban life mask deeper issues of misogyny, sexual assault, and police brutality, paralleling, if not intensifying, the hardships of rural life. The city’s promise of liberation quickly unravels when Aya, now Amira, encounters the same oppressive forces she fled. A chance meeting with a man who recognizes her past identity ensnares her back into a cycle of vulnerability and exploitation. These events highlight the dangers women face are not bound to geography but are systemic throughout Tunisia. Barsaoui reveals the layers of corruption that persist even in Tunisia’s post-revolution era. The city’s liberal facade of progress crumbles, exposing a society still full of brutality and injustice.
With “Aïcha,” Mehdi Barsaoui dissects the myth of urban versus rural life in Tunisia, challenging the audience to confront the pervasive issues of misogyny, corruption, and systemic inequality that occur across both landscapes. The film does not allow for any comforting illusions; instead, it points to all the areas where Tunisia still requires improvement.
“Aïcha” premiered at the 2024 Venice International Film Festival where it screened as part of the festival’s Orizzonti selection.
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