Masquerades (film)

''Masquerades'' (مسخرة) is a 2008 film directed by Lyes Salem.Global Film Discussion Guide - Masquerades (pdf)
"In the scene where Mounir, dressed in an elegant suit, accompanies new best friends Rédouane and Hamza on a trip out of town to scam a pair of gullible shepherds out of their money, our sympathies are drawn to the innocent shepherds immediately, in part by use of a tight close-up that fills the screen entirely with the sincere and modest face of one of the two men. We also get a reverse-shot of Rédouane in close-up, but by contrast, Rédouane wears a phony, ingratiating expression. Despite his proximity, he’s at a further distance from our sympathies, as it were, as if ripe for more critical inspection and evaluation by the audience."

Synopsis

A village in Algiers. Proud and a bluffer, Mounir wishes to be admired by all, but he has a weakness: His sister, Rym, who falls asleep anywhere. One night on the way back from the city, and quite inebriated, he shouts out to all and sunder that a rich businessman has asked for his sister's hand. By the next morning, he's the envy of all. Trapped by his own lie, Mounir changes his family's destiny.

Cast

* Mounir (Lyes Salem) - Habiba's husband, and Rym's older brother
* Rym (Sarah Reguieg) - Mounir's sister and object of Khliffa's affection
* Khliffa (Mohamed Bouchaïb) - Mounir's best friend, in love with Rym
* Habiba (Rym Takoucht) - Mounir's wife
* Amine (Merouane Zmirli) - Mounir and Habiba's boy
* Rédouane Lamouchi (Mourad Khan) - businessman and conman

Awards

* Fespaco 2009 (Burkina Faso)
* Festival Francophone de Namur 2008 (Bélgium)
* Festival Francophone d’Angoulême 2008 (France)
* Dubai International Film Festival 2008

References

*

2008 films
Algerian drama films
French drama films
2000s French films

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