‘Zero’ by Nour EddineLakhmari

 ‘Zero’ is a distinguished film which is written and directed by NourEddineLakhmari. The film tackles serious issues daringly- prostitution, alcohol, and corruption. It has also received more than 30 several awards inside or outside the country.

‘Zero’ tells the story of a cop, Amine Bartal, who is nicknamed Zero (YounesBouab), and the conflicts that he encounters within his context. AmineBartal is corrupted cop that uses a young prostitute (Mimi) to swindle her clients their money. Bartal’s superior is another corrupt man who protects a big luxury prostitution network that exploits young girls. Zero is harassed and belittled by his superior because he refuses to succumb and cooperate with his corrupted friends.

Zero fancies a doctor; yet this love has no ground in reality and that’s what he knows clearly. Then, a women looking for her daughter would invoke Zero to revolt against everything and save her daughter whom he knows that she is abducted by the prostitution network.

Lakhmari keeps the same critic tune of his previous film ‘Casanegra’, and ‘zero’ sheds light on another sphere of the society. He also tresses the fact that corruption contributes to the spread of other issues such us prostitution.  Though the movie is shocking as many claimed, Lakhmari considers his film as a treatment with shock.

Director: NourEddineLakhmari.

Genre: Drama.

Cast: YounesBouab, Mohamed Majd, Zineb Samara….

Release: 2012

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‘Casanegra’ by Nour Eddine Lakhmari

There are several movies that have been shot in Casablanca, and each movie tackles a certain facet of life in the metropolitan city. Regardless of that, today’s movie concerns itself only with the dark side in the city where far away from the city lights resides the wretched of the earth. Thus, Casablanca is only white for those who enjoy a decent life, but it is ‘casanegra’ for Karim (Anas Elbaz) and Adil ( Omar Lotfi).

Karim and Adil are close friends in their twenties, jobless, and welling to change their situation with a magical stick. Karim is trying to keep bone and flesh of his family including his retired ill father. Though, he is in love from afar with a classy and chic woman who seems to deepen his self-conscious of his situation. Otherwise, Adil’s dream is to go to Sweden with illegal paper to escape his miserable situation and save his mother from his psychopath stepfather.

These provocative conditions push the young men to work for a dealer, Zrirek (Mohamed Benbrahim). Adil seems enthusiastic about the job because he needs money to realize his dream, whereas Karim suspects Zrirek and he tries to dissuade Adil from working with him. Afterwards, the mission that Zrirek entrusts Adil and Karim failed and all their hopes fade away. `   

Nour Eddine Lakhmari brings out a forsaken world not only in Casablanca but the whole country. The people of this world are the menial workers who spend 8 hours standing for dozens of dirhams. Adil and karim are a good example of guys who are willing to work yet not in the same miserable and inhuman conditions.

Director: Nour Eddine Lakhmari

Genre: Drama

Cast: Anas Elbaz, Omar Lotfi, Mohamed Benbrahime, Ghita Tazi, Driss Roukhe…

Release: 2008

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