2021

  MOTHERHOOD

MOTHERHOOD

 
In Production

MOTHERHOOD

[SYNOPSIS]
SALHA (45), a Tunisian mother gifted with prophetic dreams, lives in the isolated north of Tunisia with her husband MOHAMED (50) and young son RAYAAN (11). The family lives in anguish after the departure of the eldest sons MALEK (20) and CHAKER (19) to the violent embrace of the Islamic State in Syria. Salha struggles to connect with Mohamed and find common ground on how to best move forward. The illiterate Mohamed had always favoured Chaker for his success at school and blames Malek for Chaker’s radicalization. News of Chaker’s death from Syria intensifies Mohamed’s hatred towards Malek and widens the emotional gulf between Salha and Mohamed.

All a sudden Malek returns home accompanied by his pregnant wife REEM (18), a mysterious Syrian girl he claims to have met after escaping. Reem’s niqab and silence deeply unsettles Mohamed and Rayaan.

Malek and Reem’s arrival coincides with the disappearances of men in the community. It is initially suspected that the men have gone to Syria to support the collapsing Islamic State. Paranoia soon engulfs the community as more men disappear every night. Salha is barely aware of the rising fear in the community. She is completely consumed with protecting Malek and Reem…
Meryam Joobeur

[DIRECTOR]
Meryam Joobeur
writer/director

Meryam is an Academy-Award nominated Tunisian-American director, based in Canada.
Her work includes both documentary and fiction. Her shor films Gods, Weeds and Revolutions (2012) and Born in the Maelstrom (2017), starring Sasha Lane (American Honey), screened internationally.
Her academy nominated shor Brotherhood (2018) screened at 150+ festivals and won 75 international prizes.