A Tale Of Love And Desire

Ahmed (the remarkable Sami Outalbali, Sex Education) is a talented 18-year-old Algerian from the outer Parisian suburbs, who has received a grant to study literature at the prestigious Sorbonne. Though the same city, it's a disorientingly-foreign world for the conservative Ahmed, and he is rattled by the discovery of a rich canon of ancient, erotic Arabic texts in his new surroundings, works in which he recognises a reflection of his own secret yearnings.

Critic Reviews:

• " Erotic verses from ancient Arab poetry enrapture a painfully inhibited young man in the sensual coming-of-age drama “A Tale of Love and Desire” from Tunisian director Leyla Bouzid. " – Carlos Aguilar (Los Angeles Times)

• " Leyla Bouzid's tour de force is her authentic portrayal of the many meanings of being Arab in France. " – Valentine Fabre (Bust Magazine)

• " It's an edifying and introspective film, with something valuable to say about embracing our most carnal impulses without shame. " – Lovia Gyarkye (Hollywood Reporter)