DIRECTOR: KAOUTHER BEN HANIA
STARRING: OLFA HAMROUNI, EYA CHIKAHOUI, TAYSSIR CHIKHAOUI, NOUR KAROUI, ICHRAQ MATAR
RUNNING TIME: 1 HR 47 MINUTES
Between light and darkness stands Olfa, a Tunisian woman and the mother of four daughters. One day, her two older daughters disappear.
STARRING: OLFA HAMROUNI, EYA CHIKAHOUI, TAYSSIR CHIKHAOUI, NOUR KAROUI, ICHRAQ MATAR
RUNNING TIME: 1 HR 47 MINUTES
Between light and darkness stands Olfa, a Tunisian woman and the mother of four daughters. One day, her two older daughters disappear.
FILM REVIEW:
(This review contains spoilers.)
“I hope at least to save my younger daughters."
Four Daughters is the International Feature submission for Tunisia. Based on a painful true story, the film is about Olfa Hamrouni, a divorced mother of four daughters from the coastal town of Sousse. They made the headlines seven years ago when two of her daughters, Ghofrane and Rahma, fled their home and country to join ISIS in Libya. Director Kaouther Ben Hania re-enacts key parts of Olfa’s family, featuring the remaining sisters Eya and Tayssir to play themselves, while hiring actresses to play the daughters who vanished from their lives.
Neither a documentary or a feature film, Four Daughters showcases the lives they lived, the pain they’ve had to endure and the agonizing personal stories that they share from their memories as children to where they are now. It’s all true, as horrifying as it is to witness. Eya and Tayssir therapeutically discuss their upbringings from two abusive father figures, to a strict household created by Olfa, to rebelling as teenagers, to their quick radicalization of their beliefs, and their loss of innocence as women. Four Daughters restores their sisterly relationship in a semi-fictionalized form.
Four Daughters approaches these difficult topics with tactfulness, honesty and grace while respecting the family’s safety through a blend of documentary and fiction. At times it’s difficult to figure out what is real and what is acted. The documentary feels cathartic for them, allowing them to speak freely about every single topic they want to talk about. It’s an act of bravery to discuss to the world personal details about very sensitive topics. But it gives a voice to the countless other women who will never have the opportunity to share their stories.
It’s impossible to ever find out the main reasons why Ghofrane and Rahma left everything behind to join the Islamic State. It could be due to feelings of alienation, feelings of inequality, and perhaps the search for a father figure, maybe even love. It’s scary to realize how quickly these two young girls were radicalized by what they heard in their communities and on the news. It all began slowly when they were essentially forced to wear a niqab. And their lack of religious knowledge and their unstable home life made them vulnerable to extremists. They were easy prey.
The cycle of abuse has been a part of this family for generations. From Olfa’s parents, to Olfa, to now her daughters. For the remaining two daughters, one can only hope that their future will be brighter.
REVIEW: A
(This review contains spoilers.)
“I hope at least to save my younger daughters."
Four Daughters is the International Feature submission for Tunisia. Based on a painful true story, the film is about Olfa Hamrouni, a divorced mother of four daughters from the coastal town of Sousse. They made the headlines seven years ago when two of her daughters, Ghofrane and Rahma, fled their home and country to join ISIS in Libya. Director Kaouther Ben Hania re-enacts key parts of Olfa’s family, featuring the remaining sisters Eya and Tayssir to play themselves, while hiring actresses to play the daughters who vanished from their lives.
Neither a documentary or a feature film, Four Daughters showcases the lives they lived, the pain they’ve had to endure and the agonizing personal stories that they share from their memories as children to where they are now. It’s all true, as horrifying as it is to witness. Eya and Tayssir therapeutically discuss their upbringings from two abusive father figures, to a strict household created by Olfa, to rebelling as teenagers, to their quick radicalization of their beliefs, and their loss of innocence as women. Four Daughters restores their sisterly relationship in a semi-fictionalized form.
Four Daughters approaches these difficult topics with tactfulness, honesty and grace while respecting the family’s safety through a blend of documentary and fiction. At times it’s difficult to figure out what is real and what is acted. The documentary feels cathartic for them, allowing them to speak freely about every single topic they want to talk about. It’s an act of bravery to discuss to the world personal details about very sensitive topics. But it gives a voice to the countless other women who will never have the opportunity to share their stories.
It’s impossible to ever find out the main reasons why Ghofrane and Rahma left everything behind to join the Islamic State. It could be due to feelings of alienation, feelings of inequality, and perhaps the search for a father figure, maybe even love. It’s scary to realize how quickly these two young girls were radicalized by what they heard in their communities and on the news. It all began slowly when they were essentially forced to wear a niqab. And their lack of religious knowledge and their unstable home life made them vulnerable to extremists. They were easy prey.
The cycle of abuse has been a part of this family for generations. From Olfa’s parents, to Olfa, to now her daughters. For the remaining two daughters, one can only hope that their future will be brighter.
REVIEW: A
