El Bastardiya (Once Upon A Time In Tripoli)
Qumra Projects
/ Feature Narrative / Libya, Egypt, France, Qatar
In Arabic, English
Rated: This film has not been rated.
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Synopsis
Murad, a young jobless engineer, works instead as a salesman. His father, a truck driver for an oil company, is kidnapped by the militants who demand a hefty ransom to be paid within three weeks, or they will kill him. With no means to pay the ransom, Murad enlists the help of his friends Salem and Ali. The trio weighs up their options, ultimately deciding to collect the ransom illegally amidst the surrounding chaos. Their attempts at robbing a bank fail, as do a jewellery store heist that ends up with them losing their loot to neighbourhood gunmen following a chase.
They then kidnap a rich man for ransom without knowing he is a foreign ambassador in Libya. Fearing things are getting out of hand and becoming stuck amid a diplomatic crisis; they release him. Facing mounting pressure, they attempt to turn the tables by kidnapping the father's kidnappers and demanding a ransom from the militia. When the militia refuses and threatens them, the trio finds themselves in a deeper crisis. With no other options, they resort to smuggling illegal African immigrants to Europe to secure the release of Murad's father.