ALGERIA: Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi)
2010/ 138mins/ French & Arabic w/ English subtitles/ Dir. Rachid Bouchareb
Cast: Jamel Debbouze, Roschdy Zem, Sami Bouajila
Director Rachid Bouchareb’s follow up to the Oscar winning Days of Glory is a compelling drama about the Algerian struggle for independence from France after WWII.
After losing their family home in Algeria in the 1920s, three brothers and their mother are scattered across the globe. Messaoud joins the French army fighting in Indochina; Abdelkader becomes a leader of the Algerian independence movement in France and Saïd moves to Paris to make his fortune in the shady clubs and boxing halls of Pigalle. Gradually, their interconnecting destinies reunite them in the French capital, where freedom is a battle to be fought and won.
‘The film packs a punch – and a huge chunk of history – into more than two hours’