There
was a revolution in Tunisia, but it only toppled a regime, leaving oppressive
ideologies and prejudices intact. In fact, secular Tunisians have grown alarmed
at the growing influence of Islamists following the Jasmine Revolution. The notorious
case of the woman known as “Meriem” is a horrifying case in point. For her
first narrative feature, Kaouther Ben Hania fictionalizes some of the details
of the compounded crime, but she remains tragically true to real life throughout
Beauty and the Dogs (trailer here), which opens this Friday in Los Angeles.
Mariam
Chaouch is pretty and social, but not political. She is not the sort who is
inclined to make trouble. The two Tunisian police officers who raped her
probably picked up on her innocence. Yet, the college student from the country has
the naïve notion that she should get for the crimes she suffered. Youssef will
support her search for justice, sometimes perhaps with a bit too much reformist
zeal. He was an activist during the Jasmine protests, who was getting extortion
money for a third corrupt copper at the time of Chaouch's attack. He still
witnessed plenty.
With
him by her side, Chaouch tries to make reports at various hospitals and police
stations, but everyone, men and women alike, callously refers her back to the
neighbor precinct where her rapists are stationed, to file the bureaucratically
mandated complaint. She can hardly believe it herself when she does exactly
that. At that point, their lives are very much in danger. It is worth noting
there is at least one good cop in the station, perhaps, but he is vastly
outnumbered.
A
long night deserves long takes—nine of them to be exact, one for each of the
films chapters. Thanks to digital technology, this is easier to do than in the
days of Hitchcock’s Rope, but it is
still a gutsy call. Yet, it works quite well in this case. Frankly, Ben Hania
is not flashy about it, but she uses the tight, hand-held camera work to build
a sense of uncomfortable confinement. It also might have been a bit of method
aid for the ensemble to crank up the tension.
Clearly,
Mariam Al Ferjani needed no such help, because her screen debut as Chaouch is a jaw-dropping tour de force. Even though Ben Haria keeps the actual
violence off-screen you feel it very directly through her pain and confusion. Arguably,
Ghanem Zrelli is the weak link, who often looks like he is just there as
Youssef to help facilitate the business on screen. However, Noomen Hamda is
quietly and rather profoundly compelling as Chedli, a veteran detective appalled
by his colleagues’ criminal behavior, but whose conscience and courage is maybe
not yet at a tipping point. That is a tricky place to play a character, but he
pulls it off remarkably well.
To
her credit, Ben Hania never waters down the extent to which Islamist misogyny
contributes to Chaouch's plight. In one telling scene, a particularly ruthless
cop makes a point of discussing with Youssef the absence of Joseph of Nazareth
from the Quran. The implications of that, coming in a police interrogation room,
are pretty chilling. Ben Hania’s previous hybrid-doc The Challat of Tunis had some interesting elements, but Beauty represents a whole new level of cinematic
accomplishment. Very highly recommended, especially for anyone who wants to understand
the post-Jasmine world, Beauty and the
Dogs opens this Friday (3/23) in Los Angeles, at the Landmark Nuart.
