Bastardo (film)
2013 film
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Bastardo is a 2013 Tunisian drama film written and directed by Nejib Belkadhi. It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.[2][3]
| Bastardo | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Nejib Belkadhi |
| Written by | Nejib Belkadhi |
| Produced by | Imed Marzouk |
| Starring | Abdel Moneem Chouayat |
| Cinematography | Gergely Pohárnok |
| Edited by | Pascale Chavance, Badi Chouka |
| Music by | Lone Wolf (Paul Marshall)[1] |
| Distributed by | Propaganda Production |
Release date |
|
Running time | 106 minutes |
| Country | Tunisia |
| Language | Arabic |
Plot
Mohsen, "the bastard", was found in a dustbin 30 years ago by his adoptive father, and has always been rejected by the residents of the rundown district where he lives. When he is fired from his job, a mobile phone company comes to install a relay tower on the roof of his modest house in exchange for a monthly stipend, Bastardo has a reversal of fortune. The aerial makes Mohsen a wealthy and respected man, to the disgruntlement of the village mobster Larnouba.
Director Belkadhi says:
- "Power and corruption have been part of our lives for decades, and less than three years after the revolution, I am still wondering if we made it. Back in 2007, when I began writing the script, I had one thought in mind: my main character Bastardo shouldn’t choose power. It’s rather power that chooses him and radically changes him."[4]
Cast
- Abdel Moneem Chouayat as Mohsen Bastardo
- Chedly Arfaoui as Larnouba
- Lobna Noomene as Bent Essengra
- Taoufik El Bahri as Khlifa
- Lassad Ben Abdallah as Khadra
- Issa Harath as Am Salah
- Latifa El Gafsi
- Ramzy Slim
- Bilel Briki
Production
Bastardo received a grant from the Doha Film Institute in 2011.[5] The original, uncut version of the movie was 3 hours and 20 minutes' long.[6]