Sofia (2018)

Directed by: Meryem Benm’Barek-Aloïsi | 80 minutes | drama | Actors: Maha Alemi, Lubna Azabal, Sarah Perles, Faouzi Bensaïdi, Hamza Khafif, Nadia Niazi, Rawia, Mohamed Bousbaa, Mansour Badri, El Hocine Aba, Ghita Fokri, Khadija Adly, Nadia Benzakour, Saida Mokrini

Any woman who has been pregnant and who has spent the first months feeling nauseous and who has not only struggled with other pregnancy ailments in the following months, but also has been allowed to feel the happiness of a moving baby, will hardly be able to imagine it. That a child is growing inside you for nine months and you haven’t noticed anything. Nevertheless, pregnancy denial, because that is the official name for this phenomenon, does occur. In ‘Sofia’, Meryem Benm’Barek’s feature film debut, such an involuntarily hidden pregnancy signals the start of a series of events that turns the lives of the lead actress, the father, and two families upside down. This phenomenon is common in countries such as Morocco. Sex outside of marriage is prohibited by law, so the fear of an extramarital pregnancy is so great that the body appears to be able to cover it up.

Sofia is twenty and still lives with her parents in Casablanca. The family is by no means poor, but the financial situation is somewhat precarious as Sofia’s father is on the verge of expanding his own business. During a business meeting at the family home, Sofia suddenly develops severe stomach cramps. Her older cousin Lena, a medical student, is concerned and secretly examines the young woman in the kitchen. To Sofia’s and Lena’s horror, Lena discovers that Sofia is heavily pregnant. Not much later Sofia’s waters break. With an excuse, Lena takes Sofia to ‘the pharmacy to get medicine’, but in reality the two go to the hospital. However, Lena can talk like Brugman, but Sofia is not allowed in. An unmarried woman may only give birth in hospital if a man is present to acknowledge the unborn child. Fortunately, through her studies, Lena has connections and the young woman can be helped. Sofia gives birth to a healthy daughter. But then the nightmare begins.

Lena supports her niece through thick and thin, but before they even speak to the father, Sofia’s parents find out what happened. Their reaction is easy to predict. Of course, Sofia has ridiculed the family and the reputation of the family must be saved at all costs. The whole family, including Sofia’s mother’s sister (Lena’s mother), goes to visit the young man with whom Sofia has caused this misery.

‘Sofia’ subtly shows how torn Morocco is between traditional values ​​and modern times. Sofia’s mother’s sister has rationally chosen a western life and is married to a Frenchman. As a result, Lena was raised a lot more freely than Sofia. Her self-confidence is reflected in a beautiful scene and you can almost hear Sofia thinking “how dare she!”. But on the other hand, Sofia is firmly in control and it turns out that she herself has hidden powers.

However, what this well-executed production also proves is that religion and tradition are still decisive in Morocco. Sex outside of marriage? Shame! No one can find out. The different social classes also have their place in ‘Sofia’. The opportunity to climb to a higher rung in the social ladder is seized by most, but at what cost?

A small criticism: the film probably would have benefited from a slightly longer running time. We would have liked to spend a little more time with the main character, get to know her a little better. You can safely call actress Maha Alemi the Moroccan Kristen Stewart. She has been granted an equally successful career. Sarah Perles also portrays a fascinating character as niece Lena and makes curious about future roles. With ‘Sofia’, Meryem Benm’Barek tells a powerful story about an interesting phenomenon. The film is carried by four strong female personalities and thus shows a different side of a world in which one has to make do with what one has. A world that has no winners. Unfair? Yes, but the resilience of these women is impressive.