Among new Moroccan filmmakers, Hisham Lasri stands out, especially after his feature-length debut, The Iron Bone (2007), which generated great interest thanks to its refined visual language and the bold treatment of its subject matter. In a black-and-white, blurred and semi-surreal atmosphere, his latest film, The End, leads us through an almost empty Casablanca. Haunted at once by violence and tenderness, bewilderment and restlessness, the city is an apt reflection of its characters. Only when the film comes to its closure are we able to interpret what underlies the events and to understand their symbolism. The film consists of three narratives. One involves a gang of four cartoon-like toughs, accompanied by their closely guarded sister, Rita; a second concerns Mekhi, a mercurial young man who identifies with Rita; the third centers on a ruthless security officer who is ready to go to immeasurable ends to defend the political system. These characters move in a nightmarish, helical loop before they reach a climactic confrontation on the eve of King Mohammad II of Morocco's exodus, a period Lasri depicts as one of fear and anxiety about the unknown. Crowded with symbols and visions, The End is a complex attempt to retrieve that era, while touching base with the present and refraining from plunging into historical documentation or overt political rhetoric.

• published: 11 Oct 2011
• views: 608