Halfaouine (Asfour Stah) (1995)

1995. 98 minutes. Tunisia. Director: Ferid Boughedir. Feature Film

Arabic w/English subtitles. Set against the sensual, erotic backdrop of modern Tunisia, renowned Arab critic-turned-filmmaker Ferid Boughedir's Halfaouine: Boy of the Terraces is a bittersweet portait of a boy's sexual awakening. Noura is an inquisitive 13-year-old whose eyes are opened to his own sexual desires when he visits the local Turkish bathhouse with his mother. Gazing upon the spectacular array of unclothed women and girls, Noura begins to experience his first pangs of longing. But just as Noura is experiences this awakening, he risks being wrested from the women's tender, affectionate companionship and into the callous and rigid company of men.

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