Backstage
Qumra Projects
/ Feature Narrative / Morocco, Tunisia, France, Belgium, Norway, Qatar / 2022
In Arabic, French
Rated: This film has not been rated.
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Synopsis
The Tunisian contemporary dance troupe “Without Borders” is concluding a Moroccan tour. During the penultimate performance in a small Atlas Mountains town, Aida, one of the dancers, provokes Hedi, her life partner, on and off the stage. Hedi injures her in front of the horrified eyes of the other members of the troupe, but without the audience noticing. The performance ends, and Aida leaves the stage with a limp. They must seek urgent medical attention and take to the road to the next village to the only doctor available in the area, in hopes to heal Aida and save the last show. A show that proves to be the most important, or will she be replaced by Nawel, the troupe choreographer who stopped performing ten years ago? On the way, a monkey crosses the road, and the bus goes into a skid and miraculously stops at the side of the road. Without a spare tire, now the troupe is stuck in the middle of the forest. Outside, the full moon brightens over a majestic, yet worrying landscape. A road movie journey commences as the troupe walks through the woods to reach the village. Through their journey, the true face of each of our characters reveals itself. Finally, after a long, arduous night, they reach the doctor’s house in the early hours of the morning, and the new day hails in a different dynamic in the company.