In November 2015, a horrific violent crime occurred in the impoverished Jebel Mghila region of Tunisia. A jihadist group attacked two young shepherds, killing one and forcing the survivor to carry a bloody message to his family. This real-life case inspired Lotfi Ashour’s harrowing drama “The Red Road,” which was screened as part of the “Meet the Neighbors” competition at the Thessaloniki Film Festival.
Ashour said: “At first, I rejected the idea of making a film based on this story, and I told myself that I needed to allow some time to pass until my feelings calmed down.” diverse. “A year and a half later, the second brother was killed in similar circumstances. This brought me back to the need to talk about it because it was no longer an isolated crime, but deliberate actions on the part of the jihadists. From then on, I was obsessed with making this film.”
“The Red Road” tells a harrowing story from the perspective of 14-year-old Ashraf (Ali Halili), who must deal not only with the trauma of seeing his cousin beheaded, but also with the horrific ordeal of having to put his head back together. . His home as a warning to his family and community. The film blends a stark, natural shot of rural Tunisia with a touch of magical realism to tell a haunting coming-of-age story.
“What struck me first was the issue of childhood in the face of such terrible violence,” the director said of his decision to center the film from Ashraf’s point of view. “What was going through Ashraf’s mind when he came down the mountain alone? I was not concerned about those who practiced violence, but rather about its consequences for the child.”
The focus on the child’s inner world also made the film’s style more clear to Ashour and his team. The director said that a child’s understanding of death is different from that of an adult, and “the boundaries between the real and the imaginary are often blurred and more fragile.”
He added: “The film takes over Ashraf in the first moments and hours after the death of his cousin, so this death has not yet become tangible or comprehended by Ashraf, far from it.” “The presence of (his cousin) and his physical embodiment in Ashraf’s eyes is completely reasonable, as is the case when you lose someone and still feel their presence, smell them, or hear their voice.”
Achour, a Tunisian author, director and producer, has produced more than 25 plays and several short films including the Cannes competition “La laine sur le dos”, and has extensive experience working with children and young actors. Casting for “Red Path” took nearly a year and involved more than 500 teenagers to play the three main roles. This process took place exclusively in rural areas, especially in secondary schools, but also included children who had dropped out of school – an unfortunately common reality in rural Tunisia.
“Over several months, we toured the interior of Tunisia and conducted workshops in small groups of 20 people. Each workshop was followed by a selected group. “This long period was acting training but it also enabled me to understand what the film was about,” Ashour said, before adding that Halili was one of the first boys they met and “an obvious choice for the whole team” from the beginning. He goes.
Ashour is quick to stress that Halili’s performance is not based on youthful spontaneity but rather the result of “months of preparation to build his character,” and mentions how the team underwent long training periods and filmed the film in real locations, which enabled him to “arrive at the filming session knowing exactly what “Every one of us should do it.” The film was filmed in the Kef region, northwestern Tunisia, close to the Algerian border.
As for the parallel story involving a budding love story between Ashraf and his girlfriend Rahma, Ashour said he wanted to “add a touch of hope and love between people to the film and add complexity as well.” The complexity of teenage feelings and the awakening of a certain sensuality.
“We found it interesting that when they lose their best friend, Rahma and Ashraf start falling in love as if to ease their grief and help them live in his memory. They are so beautiful in these love scenes, it made me want to amplify their beauty and the beauty of their feelings even more.” .
Speaking about the current state of Tunisian cinema, including Kaouther Ben Hania receiving two historic Oscar nominations in less than five years, Achour said he believes the country is “in the midst of a wonderful period in our cinema because we are witnessing the emergence of Tunisian cinema.” Real individuals with style.”
The director added: “There are few true authors, each seeking his own world that stands out from the others.” “This diversity is a reason for hope for me, even if it is still difficult to make ambitious films.”