''As I Open My Eyes'' (french: À peine j'ouvre les yeux) is a 2015 French-Tunisian

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Leyla Bouzid Leyla Bouzid (born 1984 in Tunis), is a Tunisian screenwriter and film director. Early life and education Born in Tunis in 1984, Bouzid is the daughter of the director Nouri Bouzid. She grew up in Tunisia, spending her adolescence in Tunis. A ...

. It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section of the

2015 Toronto International Film Festival The 40th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 10 to 20 September 2015. On 28 July 2015 the first wave of films to be screened at the Festival was announced. Jean-Marc Vallée's ''Demolition'' starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Naom ...

. Baya Medhaffar stars as a teenage rock singer. The film is Bouzid's first feature. It was selected as the Tunisian entry for the

Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

at the 89th Academy Awards. However, the film was not included on the final list of submissions published by the Academy.

Plot

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

in the summer of 2010, 18-year-old Farah Kallel wraps up school exams and prepares to enter university. In the meantime, she has joined a band and is secretly dating the lute player, Borhène. Unbeknownst to Farah, her band is already being watched by the police, as their songs are critical of the current government. Farah's mother, Hayet (

Ghalia Benali Ghalia Benali (born 21 December 1968) is a Tunisian singer, songwriter, writer, and graphic designer. Her music has been noted for its links to multiple genres and defining contemporary Arabic music. Benali's southern Tunisian upbringing and fasc ...

) receives a visit from an old friend, Moncef, who warns her of the police involvement and warns her to watch her daughter. However, the night of their first gig, Farah locks her mother in her room and escapes to sing at the gig. The performance goes well, giving Farah confidence to continue with her musical pursuits, despite Hayet wanting Farah to study medicine at university. After several more gigs, Borhène arrives at a rehearsal having been interrogated and beaten by the police all night. He accuses Ali, the band's manager who has been taping all of their performances, of being a cop and informing on the band. Later, Ali approaches Farah and tells her he has been protecting her and tries to warn her further but she ignores him. Going to a bus station, on the way to visit her father, Farah goes missing. Hayet tries everything to locate her but eventually realizes that Farah has been taken by the police. She goes to Borhène who tries to convince her that they should get publicity to force the police to release Farah, but she decides to go a different way, contacting Moncef who tells her where Farah is located. In prison, Farah has been beaten and sexually assaulted. She is eventually released to her parents, but sinks into a deep depression, quitting her band. Hayet manages to help Farah find her voice again and sings with her in her room.

Cast

* Baya Medhaffar as Farah *

as Hayet * Montassar Ayari as Borhėne

Reception

The film received positive reviews upon its release. It holds a 100% fresh ratings from

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

and a 7.5 average rating. The critic for ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' called it an "impressive debut" and called Medhaffer's acting "a stand-out lead perf". A critic for

Indiewire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Hollyw ...

gave the film a score of A- and called it "the Best Fictional Film Yet About the Arab Spring."

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

was less enthused about the film criticizing its "mostly familiar notes" but praising the cinematography and acting.

Accolades

References

External links