A tale of personal and political freedoms, Mohamed Ben Attia’s Hedi finds a troubled revolution in Tunisia’s deserted tourist resorts.
Independence Day
by Kendra KronenbourgHedi
CAUTION: Here be spoilers
The story of one man’s struggle for independence, as he frees himself from the shackles of an overbearing mother, a prearranged marriage and a domineering boss, Hedi is a metaphor for revolution, as his life is turned upside-down when he meets and promptly falls in love with Rym (Rym Ben Messaoud) a few days before his wedding. Majd Mastoura is first-rate as Hedi, the put-upon younger brother without the gumption to up and leave like his older brother (and his mother’s favourite). But while Mohamed Ben Attia’s film casts an interesting look over modern-day Tunisia, with its empty tourist resorts, unemployment, political unrest and corruption, Hedi remains somehow out of reach, not quite fusing its story of personal freedom into a political or narrative whole.
Hedi is now showing at the 66th Berlin Film Festival
