France-Florida Research Institute

a conversation with Yacine Balah
Tuesday November 1st, 2016
10.45am, Dauer Hall, 215

Frères ennemis features two completely opposite characters: one is a member of the FLN and the other is a soldier in the French army. Given the circumstances, the film raises an important question: how would any human being react toward the situation in the context of the Algerian war? Even though the film does not have a purpose of providing a solution, it sheds light on the way the soldiers of the French army were perceived. The story focuses on Messaoud, a member of the FLN, who is rebellious, sure of himself, and is not afraid of anything. The French army pursues him from the beginning of the film, and his hiding and running from them leads him to meet his antagonist, Belkacem, who tries to ignore the existence of the war after having lost the people he loved. This complicated conflict could break the trust between the two men at any time. Paranoia sets in and the aggressiveness increases as the smallest thing could make everything explode, which is what ends up happening. Messaoud discovers that Belkacem, the man that welcomed him in and protected him from the army, is a former member of the French army, called harki in the years after the war. As the army approaches the house, Messaoud literally explodes and becomes hysterical.

A discussion with Balah will follow.