Director: Nabil Ayouch
Cast: Nisrin Erradi, Abdellatif Chaouqi, Jalila Talemsi, Lahcen Razzougui, El Moustafa Boutankite, Joud Chamihy
Pros:
- Powerful Performances: Nisrin Erradi is magnetic as Touda, conveying both strength and vulnerability. The supporting cast, particularly El Moustafa Boutankite as the wizened violinist, adds depth to the story.
- Gripping Story: The film tackles tough subjects like sexual assault, societal constraints, and a mother’s fierce love.
- Cinematic Techniques: Strong editing by Nicolas Rumpl and Yassir Hamani, along with Virginie Surdej’s evocative cinematography, underscores the protagonist’s resilience and the harsh realities of her world.
- Music as Liberation: The use of Aita music is a highlight, showcasing its power as a tool for self-expression and cultural connection.
Cons:
Uneven Pacing: The film starts strong but loses some momentum in the final act.
Pacing Issues: The film starts strongly but loses momentum in the final third, affecting its overall narrative drive.
Verdict:
Everybody Loves Touda is a compelling social drama with a powerhouse performance from Erradi. The film doesn’t shy away from difficult themes, showcasing the struggles of a woman pursuing her dreams in a patriarchal society.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Everybody Loves Touda Full Review
Directed by Moroccan filmmaker Nabil Ayouch, “Everybody Loves Touda” is direct and uncompromising. Touda, portrayed by Nisrin Erradi, lives for music. She dreams of becoming a ‘Sheikha’, a traditional female performer in Morocco, and hopes that music will help her provide a better future for her 9-year-old son, Yassine, who is deaf and mute (played by Joud Chamihy).
heir small rural town lacks the resources to support her dreams, so Touda looks to Casablanca, a vibrant city with renowned stages and well-funded schools, for opportunities.
Touda’s journey to the big city isn’t her only challenge. She also has to deal with the strong male dominance and the sexist attitudes of many Moroccan men. To save money for her trip, Touda sings in nightclubs. There, she reluctantly endures the leering looks of drunken men.
Touda, portrayed by the captivating Nisrin Erradi, is the determined lead character in Everybody Loves Touda.
Touda is performing a lively song with other singers on the edge of her small town. The women dance and smile at the men around a campfire. The men appear pleased, but their looks soon turn greedy. As evening falls, the joyful mood shifts to something darker.
Smiles become sinister, and the men’s behavior grows more aggressive. Caught in the chaos, Touda is chased, her dress is grabbed, and she is assaulted.
The film opens with a brutal gang rape, making a harsh point about society’s view of women like Touda. Despite this, the movie comes alive whenever Nisrin Erradi sings.
Touda angrily insists she is a singer, not a prostitute, but the bar owner where she performs just shrugs and says, “A little of this, a little of that.”
Most of her money comes not from singing fees, but from tips men put in her bra and commissions on the drinks she convinces leering customers to buy. It’s no surprise she dreams of being recognized as a true artist. Erradi’s captivating presence drives the film, which starts powerfully but loses some of its energy by the final third.
Touda encounters a violinist at a Casablanca bar who recognizes her musical talent. He mentors her in the traditional Sheikha performance style, particularly in the Ai’ta chants. These chants play a significant role in the film’s score, highlighting pivotal moments of transition for Touda.
The film captures poignant moments when Touda sings aita, a Moroccan folk music genre associated with themes of liberation. The camera focuses closely on her face, providing an intimate view, while the music recedes, allowing the ambiance to immerse the audience in Touda’s surroundings. Touda’s performance, portrayed with a mix of determination and vulnerability by Erradi, enriches these scenes.
In essence, the film depicts Touda’s journey of self-discovery and empowerment through music, signifying themes of love, loss, and personal struggles.
In “Everybody Loves Touda,” moments of pain are often followed by a strange quietness. Quick scene changes show life’s ups and downs and highlight Touda’s strength. She faces a lot of harshness in her life, which shows how strong she is, but also shows how unfair her society can be.
This isn’t the first time Ayouch has made a story about how women deal with strict gender roles. In his 2008 film “Whatever Lola Wants,” he told the story of a postal worker in New York who wanted to be a belly dancer in Egypt. His movie “Much Loved,” which caused controversy when it premiered at Cannes in 2015, looked at prostitution in Morocco through the lives of four women.