Inch'Allah dimanche (2001)
Directed by Yamina Benguigui

Film Review

Drawing on her own childhood recollections, Yamina Benguigui paints an evocative portrait of a young immigrant woman and her family in this, her first full length film.  The film is set in the mid-1970s, when the French government relaxed its immigration policy to allow the families of Algerian men working in France to come over and live with them.   At this time, racial integration was virtually non-existent, and one thing the film captures very well is the sense of isolation and vulnerability that the Algerian family experiences upon its arrival in France.

Although there is some good material in the film (not least of which is Fejria Deliba's arresting performance), it is slightly marred by its excesses, which weaken the film's sense of realism.  This is most apparent in the innumerable scenes where every other character (Zouina, her mother, her husband, the garden-obsessed neighbour, etc.) loses control and goes into a manic fit, hurling abuse and hitting out at anything in sight.  In many of these scenes, this behaviour appears unprovoked and excessive, and, far from arousing the spectator's sympathy, it becomes a source of irritation.

Another fault is that few of the native French characters in the film are believable - most appear to be stereotypes lacking in depth and credibility.  Whilst some of the comic touches in the film are pleasing, even these are pushed to excess in a few places and end up undermining the drama.    So, whilst it is possible to enjoy the film for its naiveté and unusual comic style, its lack of conviction and abundance of histrionics prevent it from being the more potent work it could have been.

Film Synopsis

In 1974, Zouina makes up her mind to leave her native Algeria and settle in France with her husband.  The latter has been living and working in France for over a decade, and Zouina feels the time is right for her immediate family to relocate.  Accompanied by her three children and her bossy mother-in-law, she arrives at her new home in Picardy and soon finds life in France more challenging than she had imagined.  Zouina soon misses the rest of her family, who have stayed behind in Algeria, and begins to resent being beaten by her husband whenever she disobeys him.

Her neighbours seem to regard her with contempt and will have nothing to do with her.  They obviously hate all foreigners.  One day, Zouina is cheered by the news that there is another Algerian family living nearby.  She knows that if she leaves the house without permission she will be fiercely censured by her husband and her mother-in-law.  Yet she cannot give up the chance to go out and look for new friends who might be able to offer her some consolation and make up for the miseries she has to endure in this cold, unwelcoming land...