Papicha

Name: Papicha
Genre: Drama
Released: May 29, 2020
Duration: 108 min
Rating: 69
Cast: Aida Ghechoud, Amine Mentseur, Amira Hilda Douaouda, Lyna Khoudri, Marwan Zeghbib

2020

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 6 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 6 Ratings

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5.8

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5.8	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 6 Ratings

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Papicha (English Sub)

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Movie Details & Credits

Jour De Fete | Release Date (Streaming): May 29, 2020

Starring: Aida Ghechoud, Amine Mentseur, Amira Hilda Douaouda, Lyna Khoudri, Marwan Zeghbib, Meriem Medjkrane, Nadia Kaci, Samir El Hakim, Shirine Boutella, Yasin Houicha, Zahra Manel Doumandji

Summary: Algiers, 1997. The country is in the hands of terrorist groups, seeking to establish an Islamic and archaic state. Women are particularly affected and oppressed by primitive diktas, who seek to take control of their bodies and control their passage through the public space. While a frenzied hunt for women unveiled is launched, Nedjma, aAlgiers, 1997. The country is in the hands of terrorist groups, seeking to establish an Islamic and archaic state. Women are particularly affected and oppressed by primitive diktas, who seek to take control of their bodies and control their passage through the public space. While a frenzied hunt for women unveiled is launched, Nedjma, a young student passionate about fashion, is determined to federate the girls of her campus to organize a fashion show braving all the forbidden.… Expand

Director: Mounia Meddour Gens

Genre(s): Drama

Runtime: 108 min

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Critic Reviews

Jeannette Catsoulis

May 28, 2020

Marked by a fierce vitality and vivid emotional authenticity, Papicha thrives on the heat of Nedjma’s anger and the glorious bond among the mostly young female performers. Read full review

Lee Marshall

May 28, 2020

The film’s most rewarding strand is the inventive, pointed way in which clothes and textiles are used as metaphors both for female constraints and female defiance. Read full review

Lillian Crawford

Dec 29, 2021

It’s the greatest asset of Papicha that it condemns without being dogmatic, showing its central conflict to be more complicated than Western audiences might otherwise believe. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Tomris Laffly

May 29, 2020

Brisk, confident, and atmospheric, Mounia Meddour’s feature debut Papicha promptly brings to mind certain female driven films of the 21st century, centered on young women’s camaraderie, resistance and unique struggles—movies like Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s moody “Mustang,” Margaret Betts’ somber “Novitiate,” Peter Mullan’s devastating “The Magdalene Sisters” and even Talya Lavie’s darkly comedic “Zero Motivation.” Read full review

Jay Weissberg

May 28, 2020

The screenplay’s seams show so glaringly, and the finish is so tonally mismatched, that notwithstanding audience identification and the inevitable “loosely inspired by real events” tagline, Papicha feels conspicuously manipulative. Read full review

Boyd van Hoeij

May 28, 2020

Very knowing about female friendships and the different possible reactions to forced social change, this is a lovingly acted film that, unfortunately, derails in the third act; the calamitous events depicted work fine as a blunt metaphor for where the country found itself or was headed, but doesn't convince on a narrative level or in terms of its psychological impact on the characters. Read full review

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User Reviews

Brent_Marchant

Jun 4, 2020

An engaging tale about a conflict that's received little cinematic attention told from a unique narrative perspective. This fact-based dramatic feature film debut from director Mounia Meddour follows the efforts of an outspoken fashion design student seeking to make a sociopoliticalAn engaging tale about a conflict that's received little cinematic attention told from a unique narrative perspective. This fact-based dramatic feature film debut from director Mounia Meddour follows the efforts of an outspoken fashion design student seeking to make a sociopolitical statement about women's rights in her country during the 1990s Algerian Civil War and the aggressively intolerant (and often-deadly) tactics of Islamic fundamentalists to coerce compliance, even in matters of clothing. While some elements of the story seem a bit forced, the film nevertheless raises a variety of intriguing thematic issues using a unlikely but highly inventive form of symbolism. A truly pleasant surprise that emerges from a cinematically innovative premise.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JLuis_001

Apr 12, 2022

''Women should stay at home to be closer to Allah.
When they go outside they expose themselves to men.''
''What if she needs to support her family?'' ''She asks her father, brother or husband for permission.'' ''What if she has no one? is she left to starve?'' ''With Allah everything''Women should stay at home to be closer to Allah.
When they go outside they expose themselves to men.''

''What if she needs to support her family?''

''She asks her father, brother or husband for permission.''

''What if she has no one? is she left to starve?''

''With Allah everything works''

''I am sick and tired of the way things work.''

This film is set in 1997 and you could easily say that it takes place in the present day in lands controlled by Islamic fundamentalists who brutally curtail women's rights, for the simple reason that they consider them inferior. Papicha is a story of rebellion that although it uses a real historical background, its story is centered on its protagonist and therefore its display of the repression is only focused on her eyes and so it feels somewhat limited, yet it never loses sight of its message.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

hamza7nouara

Sep 20, 2020

The full movie made for make muslims bad with wrong tradition and make them look like a terrorist

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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