Mariam, a young Tunisian woman, is the victim of a terrible crime during a harmless student party that changes her life forever. When she leaves the party with the mysterious Youssef, a dark and seemingly endless night begins. What follows is an intense struggle for her rights and dignity. But how can justice be restored when the power lies with the perpetrators? In BEAUTY AND THE DOGS, Kaouther Ben Hania unfolds an oppressive, Kafkaesque journey that gets under the skin both emotionally and politically. The film not only sheds light on Mariam's personal powerlessness, but also on the structural injustice of a system that protects the weakest instead of defending them. In nine masterfully staged sequences, a story unfolds that is both shocking and inspiring in equal measure, with its documentary-style and gripping emotionality. The film celebrated its world premiere in the “Un Certain Regard” section at the 2017 Cannes International Film Festival and won the Youth Jury Prize at the Valladolid International Film Festival. BEAUTY AND THE DOGS has been praised by international critics and described as “an emotional thrill ride and a socio-political appeal” (The Hollywood Reporter).

Keywords

• Best sequence-shots
• Cannes: Un Certain Regard
• Festival de Cannes
• Maghreb Cinema
• Night Tales
• justice

Actors

• Anissa Daoud
• Mariam Al Ferjani
• Noomane Hamda
• Chedly Arfaoui
• Mohamed Akkari
• Ghanem Zrelli
• Mourad Gharsalli

Director

• Kaouther Ben Hania