By wanting to defend a student accused by her radicalized peers of being a lesbian, a teacher sows discord in her class.
Of Arab origin and raised in the Muslim faith, in a relationship with Luc (Johan Hedelbergh), Flemish intellectual, Amal (masterful Lubna Azabal, revealed to the Quebec public in Firesby Denis Villeneuve) teaches in a high school in Belgium. While she introduces her students, most of them from immigrant backgrounds, to the greatest French authors, Amal tries to instill in them what freedom of expression is.
When one of her students, Monia (Kenza Benboutcha), is bullied by radicalized students, including Jalila (Ethelle Gonzalez Lardued), who accuse her of liking girls, Amal makes them read poems by Abū Nuwās, homosexual writer from the 8th centurye century. Unwittingly, she starts a war in the classroom. While she vainly asks the school director (Catherine Salée) to help her, Amal comes to suspect her colleague Nabil (Fabrizio Rongione) of teaching sharia.
In order to write Amal – a free spiritthe jury’s favorite prize at the Quebec City Cinema Festival (FCVQ), Jawad Rhalib was inspired by the homophobic and sexist comments made by young Muslims while he toured schools with At the time when the Arabs danceddocumentary where he offered an incursion into Arab-Muslim culture. During the writing of the screenplay, signed with Chloé Léonil (The restlessby Joachim Lafosse) and David Lambert (The turtles), the Belgian director of Moroccan origin was upset by the assassination of French teacher Samuel Paty.
A committed filmmaker experienced in the documentary genre, Jawad Rhalib signs a resolutely realistic work, which is reminiscent of the cinema of the Dardenne brothers. Both Linda Williame’s agitated and inquisitive camera and Nicolas Rumpi’s nervous editing suggest both a sense of urgency and an anxiety-inducing feverishness. With her character as a non-conformist teacher and her students with strong personalities, all played with a disarming naturalness, Amal – a free spirit at times evokes the astonishing Between the wallsby the late Laurent Cantet.
However, contrary to the story of the teacher François Bégaudeau, that ofAmal – a free spirit cruelly lacks finesse and gradually veers towards Manichaeism to finally sink into pessimism. Certain religious characters sometimes border on caricature at the risk of provoking rage rather than reflection. Despite this, this shock film proves to be courageous.
In the room
Drama
Amal – a free spirit
Jawad Rhalib
Lubna Azabal, Catherine Salée, Fabrizio Rongione
1:51 a.m.