Alyssa (Eya Bellagha), a excessive schooler in Tunis, has as many familial duties as she has goals to flee to Europe. Her older neighbor Mehdi (Slim Baccar) is a gifted painter on the lookout for any job since artwork doesn’t pay the payments. The poignant friendship that develops between these two characters is on the heart of writer-director Amel Guellaty’s first function movie, which debuted on this planet dramatic competitors part at Sundance. “The place the Wind Comes From” is a visually hanging movie that packs in lots of themes inside the easy framework of the highway journey film.

Unbeknownst to Mehdi, Alyssa enrolls him in an artwork contest within the neighboring city of Djerba. The prize is a visit to Germany. Whereas leaving is extra her dream than his, Mehdi goes alongside along with her demanding enthusiasm. Collectively they’ve to search out transportation and funds to journey. Throughout the journey, they arrive to many realizations about themselves and about one another. Guellaty has a affected person hand that doesn’t push her characters an excessive amount of, permitting them the house to disclose themselves. By the tip of the 2 days encompassed by the movie, the viewers comes to know the pair, in addition to the place and setting they inhabit. The movie may seem modest in its ambitions, however in reality, it manages to utterly reveal two lifetimes.

“The place the Wind Comes From” is a personality examine, a portrait of contemporary Tunisia and an ode to the nation’s youth post-Arab Spring, suddenly. That point within the early 2010s introduced a lot hope however in the end little change from the political and financial woes this era faces. Alyssa and Mehdi really feel these pressures, making an attempt to forge a approach forward even when generally it feels unattainable.

To painting these conflicting feelings, Guellaty makes use of many parts in her director’s toolbox. Alyssa’s fixed daydreaming is rendered in fantasy musical interludes, the place her strange environment grow to be full of sunshine and happiness. For Mehdi’s quieter disposition, Guellaty makes his illustrations come alive. The soundtrack is stuffed with recognizable traditional Arab songs and up to date Tunisian music. These scenes may be literal goals or commentary on the socioeconomic standing of the 2 principal characters and the individuals they encounter. Regardless of the aim, Guellaty grounds these fantastical parts within the actuality of the characters whereas giving the viewers laughter and leisure.

Bellagha has the loud and complex position and runs headstrong into it. Alyssa is all the time shifting, all the time bursting with concepts. Solely when she’s daydreaming does she grow to be nonetheless. Bellagha infuses her efficiency with an enormous dose of verve and vitality, giving the movie a chaotic power that distinguishes it. She portrays the complexities of this character who may seem egocentric and solely considering herself on the floor however is revealed to be carrying the burden of her household’s tragedy. When Alyssa relaxes to flirt with a girl on the dance ground or playfully spar along with her youthful sister, Bellagha reveals the center beneath the bluster.

Then again, Baccar has the extra subdued half. Mehdi does every thing slower than Alyssa. He’s extra considerate, extra methodical. When he’s sitting down, he hardly strikes, however is mushy spoken and has only a few phrases. He needs to be cajoled to indicate emotion. The actor grounds the efficiency in a simple and nice method that makes the viewers perceive the potential Alyssa sees in him. Each actors and characters complement one another — not within the custom of the opposing-temperaments odd couple however by making a relaxed camaraderie.

“The place the Wind Comes From” is essentially a narrative of friendship. Nevertheless, Guellaty infuses it with a lot extra, exploring a number of weighty themes, from systemic and generational misogyny to how making a dwelling as an artist has grow to be just for the rich. Guellaty made a young movie, by the tip of which, its heft and significance have been revealed.