Last modified on Mon 19 Apr 2021 07.01 EDT
In Morocco, sex outside marriage is punishable by up to 12 months in prison. But when unmarried Sofia gives birth, in this debut feature from Meryem BenmâBarek, her familyâs biggest fear is not her going to jail, itâs preserving their honour. The film is straightforward, a blunt social-realist drama. (Sofia goes into labour at a kitchen sink, while washing up.) Only at the end does it dawn on you how carefully the story is plotted: something happens that recasts everything that has gone before â and, if anything, makes the story even more grim.