In the aftermath of World War 2, France attempted to replenish its weakened work force by recruiting men from North Africa. In the mid-1970's, the French government relaxed its immigration policy to allow the families of Algerian men to join them. Inch'Allah Dimanche provides us with a deeply moving memoir of the sense of isolation and vulnerability that the immigrant family experienced upon their arrival at a time when racial integration was virtually non-existent. Zouina (Fejria Deliba in a richly emotional performance) is a woman who is torn from her home in Algeria. With her three children and her abrupt mother-in-law, Aicha (Rabia Modedem), she rejoins her husband in a foreign and unaccommodating land. She finds herself feeling imprisoned between a distant husband who scorns her, a hostile mother-in-law and a neighbor (a comedic France Darry) who is afraid of Fejria's otherness. But Zouina's finally begins to feel a sense of acceptance when she meets a cosmetics factory worker who sparks in Zouina an interest in French culture and her new world. This curiosity, and her longing for freedom and experience, drives Zouina to take secret excursions with her children on Sundays, the one day that her husband and mother-in-law are out of the house. Through these little adventures, she comes to terms with the difficulties of immigration, change, and adaptation to a new culture.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
Important But Not Very Enjoyable...:
This film seemed intriguing, because it was supposed to deal with the issues of immigration, integration and the plight of women, so I rented it. It was not a bad film, but I cannot say that I really enjoyed it. Characters were two-dimensional and not well-developed. The husband was a total brute, both physical and emotional. Zouina was obviously the victim and I felt sorry for her, but she was not a very likeable person. She seemed to be cold, distant and treated local residents with distrust. Nicole, for... more info
God willing . . .:
According to many accounts, this film portrays what is the reality of married life for many Muslim women - treated as something between a servant and a prisoner in their own home. Set in the 1970s, this film follows the experience of an Algerian woman, who with her three young children and mother-in-law joins her husband, a guest worker in France. Forced to remain at home rather than be exposed to the corrupting influences of the world outside, she is brow-beaten by her mother-in-law and physically beaten... more info
The finesse with which the Zouida is built is just beautiful.:
Humans look for a peaceful dwelling on the earth. Homesickness is a characteristic of human existence. We belong to where we feel at home. I must admit that there seems to be flaws in story and some problems with character development. However this originates from the nature of narrative style the director Yamina Benguigui prefers. You must have heard the literary writing style called "flow or stream of consciousness" to which James Joyce's "Ulysses" shown as an example. In the same manner, the film... more info
Moving film:
Inch'Allah Dimanche brings to life the experiences of an Algerian woman reunited with her husband in France. Although it is not fully representative in all aspects of an immigrant's life, the movie highlights certain problems of female immigrants. For instance, her feeling of isolation is well portrayed through her relationship with her neighbors and her family. This isolation, due to her role in the family, a language barrier and her homesickness, is one of the main themes in the film. Domestic violence is... more info
