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Times
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Times
Red Path review — a severed head, football and an awkward romance
There's a lot going on in this grim Tunisian drama and I'm not sure that all of it works. It was inspired by a horrifying real-life incident from 2015 when Islamic State psychopaths beheaded a teenage shepherd on a remote part of Mount Mghila and then forced his cousin to carry the severed head back to his village as a gruesome warning sign. • Read more film reviews, guides about what to watch and interviews In the powerful opening scenes here, the shepherd Nizar (Yassine Samouni) and his cousin Achraf (Ali Helali) are pictured traversing the Tunisian landscape, climbing Mount Mghila and savouring the soulful beauty around them. 'Millions of years ago this place belonged to the fish,' Nizar says after cooling off in a mountain pool. The director, Lotfi Achour, then cuts to dramatic widescreen shots of undulating sedimentary rock, as if to provide comment on geological time and human impermanence. At this point Isis attack, Achraf is beaten unconscious and Nizar is beheaded off-camera. Then follows a mighty jump-scare, when Achraf awakes to see his decapitated cousin on the ground bedside him. And after that it gets strange. Achraf carries the head around in a sports bag, initially unable to reveal the truth to Nizar's loving family. He plays football with the locals, hiding the head in a tree, and it begins to feel like the Raymond Carver short story So Much Water So Close to Home, in which the friends go fishing despite discovering a dead body. There is an awkward romantic element too, as Achraf inconceivably starts crushing on Nizar's former girlfriend. Once Achraf comes clean and delivers the head, there's a wildly absurd scene in which Nizar's father has to remove a shelf from the family freezer to fit his son's skull inside. And then Nizar's ghost appears to Achraf to partake in vaguely philosophical conversations. None of this quite coheres as a single storytelling vision, however — all that remains is the horror.★★☆☆☆ 15, 101min In cinemas from Jun 20 Times+ members can enjoy two-for-one cinema tickets at Everyman each Wednesday. Visit to find out more. Which films have you enjoyed at the cinema recently? Let us know in the comments and follow @timesculture to read the latest reviews
CairoScene
17-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Red Sea International Film Festival Announces 5th Edition Dates
Last year's festival showcased 125 films from 50 countries, with 49 regional premieres and 10 world premieres. The fifth edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) is officially set to take place in Jeddah's Al-Balad district from December 4th to the 13th, 2025. Last year's round showcased 125 films from 50 countries, with 49 regional premieres and 10 world premieres. Notable films included 'The Red Sons', a Tunisian film by Lotfi Achour that won the Golden Crescent, and 'To an Unknown Land', a Palestinian film by Mahdi Fleifel that took home the Silver Crescent. High profile attendees included stars like Will Smith, Johnny Depp, and director Spike Lee, who served as the jury chair. This year, the festival will continue focusing on filmmakers from the Middle East, Africa, and the Global South with a mix of screenings, panels, and networking events. Both industry professionals and audiences alike will once again have the chance to view a wide range of films, including those from emerging voices in both regional and international cinema.
