MEDIATHEK

Bou Saada, “City of Happiness”, is the name of an oasis in the Algerian Sahara. The title of the documentary, however, turns out to be purely ironic when Nadir, the young hero of the film, begins to search for this place of happiness. City of happiness is a film about the situation of young Algerian men — represented by the English student Nadir, his family, his fellow students and friends — after ten years of terrorism and economic decline in their home country. Nadir begins to introduce his village to us, interviews his friends, his parents, and teachers. After finding no happiness in his hometown, he continues his search, going south, deeper and deeper into the desert. In the end, he does not find happiness, but a deeper insight into himself. On his journey he paints a portrait of young men in various Algerian cultures: we meet Abdul Hafith, a young ballet dancer in the industrial town Batna, Ibrahim, a Mozabite carpenter and theater player in the strong religious oasis Gouerara, and three Tuareg near the desert city of Tamanrasset. Nadir himself is a Kabyle from the coast. Although all of these young men have different cultural and language backgrounds, all of them suffer from patriarchal family structures as well as the political and economic problems in their country. All of them would leave Algeria immediately if they had the freedom to do so. 

[csm/msb]

Powered by Froala Editor