Cheb

1991 1h 19m FR

🤯

10.0

MASTERPIECE

★10.0TMDB · 2

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After a conviction for theft, Merwan was expelled from France, where he had lived since the age of one, to Algeria, his country of birth. In a foreign country of which he knows neither the language nor the customs, he finds himself stripped of his belongings and on the street.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Mourad Bounaas
Merwan
Nozha Khouadra
Malika
Djohra Bachene
La mère de Merwan
Yahia Benmabrouk
Le taxi clandestin
Boualem Benani
Le capitaine
Pierre-Loup Rajot
Ceccaldi
Aziz Anik
L'Officier de la PAF
Fawzi B. Saichi
Garçon du hammam

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Rachid Bouchareb
Writers: Christian Zerbib, Rachid Bouchareb, Abdelkrim Bahloul
Languages: Arabic, French
Countries: Algeria, France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 79-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

35 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Arabic, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Algeria, France.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Rachid Bouchareb, shot by Youcef Sahraoui. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Safy Boutella. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Guy Lecorne shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Rachid Bouchareb directs. Youcef Sahraoui behind the camera. Safy Boutella scores. Guy Lecorne cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Algeria, France. Dialogue in Arabic, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 79-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
235 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Arabic, French.
4International production across 2 countries: Algeria, France.
5Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
6Directed by Rachid Bouchareb, shot by Youcef Sahraoui. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Safy Boutella. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Guy Lecorne shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Mourad Bounaas and Nozha Khouadra and Djohra Bachene carry the top of the cast.
10IMDB entry: tt0099244 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Only 2 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.