This week in Cinema Box, veteran director Merzak Allouache casts a critical eye on Algerian society from the rooftops of Algiers. ‘The Rooftops’
ADVERTISEMENTThis week in Cinema Box, veteran director Merzak Allouache casts a critical eye on Algerian society from the rooftops of Algiers.
‘The Rooftops’ follows five stories as they unfold in five different neighbourhoods of the Algerian capital over the course of a day punctuated by the calls to prayer.
The director successfully juggles the multiple stories, shuttling from one to the other with ease and showing us just enough to whet our appetite.
Each story tackles a different social issue, from class and gender inequality to endemic corruption in Algeria or the rise of fundamentalism.
While the subject matter is serious, the tone is light – each story injected with Allouache’s trademark sense of humour and irony.
‘The Rooftops’ by Merzak Allouache is definitely one of the most forceful self-critiques to come out of Algeria today.
