''The Wretched Life of Juanita Narboni'' ( Spanish: ''La vida perra de Juanita Narboni'') is a 2005 film directed by Moroccan filmmaker Farida Benlyazid and based on the novel of the same name by

Ángel Vázquez Angel is a given name meaning "angel", " messenger". In the English-speaking world Angel is used for both boys and girls. From the medieval Latin masculine name ''Angelus'', which was derived from the name of the heavenly creature (itself derived ...

. It was screened at the National Film Festival in Tangier, as well as the San Sebastian Festival.

Synopsis

Juanita, daughter of an English father from

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

and an

Andalusian Andalusia is a region in Spain. Andalusian may also refer to: Animals *Andalusian chicken, a type of chicken *Andalusian donkey, breed of donkey *Andalusian hemipode, a buttonquail, one of a small family of birds *Andalusian horse, a breed of ho ...

mother, narrates her life story, mirroring the history of

Tangier Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the cap ...

between the forties and seventies of the 20th century, the period of its zenith as well as its decline as a cosmopolitan city. She recounts the stories of her sister Helena; infatuated with freedom; of Esther, her close Moroccan Jewish friend who has helplessly fallen in love with a Muslim, and of Hamruch, her faithful Moroccan maid who is all the family she has left. In the background of these lives, a series of events happens: the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

and the invasion of Tangier, the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, and the arrival of refugees from Europe. Eventually Juanita finds herself alone with Hamruch in her city. After the independence of Morocco in 1956, it is returning to its Arab origins.

Cast

Mariola Fuentes Mariola Fuentes (born 1970, Marbella) is a Spanish actress. She usually plays tragicomical characters. She started to be known in 1997, thanks to her role in ''Perdona bonita, pero Lucas me quería a mí''. In 1998, her role in the TVE1 series ...

(Juanita) * Salima Benmounem (Hamruch) *

Lou Doillon Lou Doillon (born 4 September 1982) is a French-English singer, actress and model. Personal life Doillon is the daughter of French writer/director Jacques Doillon and English actress/singer Jane Birkin. She has six brothers and sisters: Ka ...

(Helena) * Chete Lera * Nabila Baraka * Concha Cuetos * Francisco Algora * Victoria Mora * Rosario Pardo

Awards and accolades

* National Moroccan Film Festival (Tangier 2005)

References

External links

* 2005 films Moroccan drama films Films based on books {{DEFAULTSORT:Wretched Life of Juanita Narboni