“Behind the Palms” director Meryem Benm’barek is grappling with mixed emotions as her film prepares for its world premiere at the Marrakech Film Festival.
On the one hand, the Moroccan author – whose first feature film “Sofia” was celebrated at Un Certain Regard in 2018 – is deeply moved to unveil his latest work in his country of origin.
“I know my film will be received here in the deepest sense of the word,” she says. Variety.
At the same time, Benm’barek is perfectly aware that the versions planned in Morocco and the Arab world do not correspond to her artistic vision. Although she reluctantly agreed to the minor edits required for distribution in Morocco – mainly cutting wide shots and toning down the more explicit elements of the sex scenes – she describes the version cut for other MENA territories as a knife in the heart.
“It’s not really my film anymore,” she says of the re-edited cut, cut almost in half for the growing Saudi market. “I don’t approve of it, I don’t validate it and I totally disagree with it. But it’s the law of the market: I don’t really have a say, unless I choose not to release the film in the Arab world, which personally I wouldn’t mind, but from a production point of view, I doubt it’s possible.”
(Pyramide Films will release the full director’s cut in France and will handle international sales exclusively for this version.)
Indeed, it would be almost impossible to erase all traces of sexuality in an intimate thriller centered on a young Tangier resident torn between two radically different romantic partners. While young entrepreneur Mehdi (Driss Ramdi) is already half-engaged to Selma (Nadia Kounda), a socially reserved baker, he soon finds himself attracted to the sexually liberated Marie (Sara Giraudeau), a well-off French woman who begins as a customer before becoming his lover and social benefactor, fueling his fantasies of upward mobility and a different life.
“I needed to maintain absolute creative freedom,” explains Benm’barek. “Marie gives access to her body – and it was important that this be seen, because the story is experienced through Mehdi’s eyes. Selma, on the contrary, defines herself by modesty, she does not reveal herself and refuses access to her body. The intimate scenes therefore required a different visual language. These are deliberate choices, which reflect my artistic vision and the direction I wanted for the film, even if they do not necessarily resonate with everyone.”
Films like “Dirty Dancing” and “Titanic” resonated with Benm’barek as she wrote her latest feature film.
“A lot of films follow a character moving from one social class to another, but I come from ’90s thrillers and those cheesy Saturday night TV movies,” she explains. “I make the kind of films that I would have enjoyed as a viewer. I don’t think you have to overthink everything. Enjoyment should remain at the center, because making films is difficult – and it’s only getting more difficult.”
“Our profession is full of doubts, where nothing is ever really easy,” she says. “It is therefore important to maintain this place of pleasure, to remember what made us want to create films. We were spectators above all else and we were moved by the films. This feeling of pleasure is essential, otherwise it becomes too difficult to continue.”
