Sabriya

1997 0h 25m AR

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 1

Drama

Synopsis

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This film explores the impact of the modern world on the traditional male society of the Maghreb. It is a film about men who prefer to live life as an abstract game and the free-spirited woman who changes everything. Said and Youssef have fulfilled a life-long dream by opening a "chess bar" in the middle of the desert. They sit around drinking palm wine, playing board games and composing love poetry to imaginary women. All this changes with the arrival of Sarah, a sexually liberated, uninhibited metisse who easily lures Youssef into an affair. Soon he is dreaming not about chess but about opening a coffee bar in Genoa. The friendship is destroyed, the bar sold. Youssef, dressed in Western clothes, waits to leave with Sarah; will she show up? Said boards a train and sits down next to a Westernized woman bearing a resemblance to Sarah

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Fethi Akkari
Barman
Chawki Bouglia
Youssef
Rim Turki
Sarra
Nabil Chahed
Said
Abdellfattah Abdellatif
Matches Man

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Abderrahmane Sissako
Languages: Arabic
Countries: Tunisia

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 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 25-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Abderrahmane Sissako, shot by Youssef Ben Youssef. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Fethi Akkari and Chawki Bouglia and Rim Turki carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0192560 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Abderrahmane Sissako directs. Youssef Ben Youssef behind the camera. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Tunisia. Dialogue in Arabic.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 25-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
229 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Abderrahmane Sissako, shot by Youssef Ben Youssef. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Fethi Akkari and Chawki Bouglia and Rim Turki carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0192560 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.