Buried Secrets

In writer and director Raja Amari's second feature film, curiosity again plays a key role - just as in her debut work, "Red Satin", which traced a middle-aged widow's entrance into the world of belly dancing. This time, the curiosity is that of sisters Aicha and Radia. To say that they live a sheltered life is a gross understatement, for, along with their elderly mother, they live cutoff from the outside world in the underground servant's quarters of a deserted mansion. When a young, modern couple moves into the main house, the women attempt to keep their presence a secret. But teenage Aicha's increasing infatuation with the newcomers soon threatens to expose the buried family and the secrets they are so desperately trying to keep hidden. A dark, subterranean fairy tale set in a contemporary Tunisian context, BURIED SECRETS, explores the effects of reclusion on the female psyche, as well as the repressed desires that come as a result.ASHLEY SMITH

Orig. title
Dohawa: Cast
Hafsia Herzi, Sondos Belhassen, Wassila Dari, Rim El Benna, Dhafer L'Abidine: Producer
Dora Bouchoucha Fourati, Serge Lalou, Nicolas Wadimoff: Script
Raja Amari: Cinematography
Renato Berta: Music
Phillipe Heritier, Erik Rug: Spoken language
Arabic: Subtitle
English