Razzia

Razzia is a warm and humanist movie, consisting of five fictional stories about people in Morocco whose lives are challenged in different ways by the rising tide of intolerance. The movie is not the usual heavy-handed tragedy, nor is it at all preachy. The focus is on the characters.

The five stories are only very loosely connected. The first is set in a remote inland village several decades ago, while the other four are set in contemporary Casablanca. We touch on a teacher facing Islamicization of primary schools; a married woman who is too modern for her husband; a Jewish restaurant owner; a young gay musician in a homophobic culture which nevertheless has a long gay tradition; and a teenage girl who isn't ready for adulthood.

This movie is my favorite so far of the movies at our local film festival. Highly recommended.

P.S. FYI, a 'razzia' is a military raid for plunder, but here it seems to mean mob action.