Daughter of Keltoum

By Alison Arnold,
Student Contributor

After watching Daughter of Keltoum a film by Mehdi Charef, I was left with many lingering and powerful images. A few parts of the film stood out particularly strongly for me. The first was Rallia’s transition from an outsider and foreigner to a member of the community - a western young woman returning for the first time to her birthplace in the mountainous desert region of Algeria. We see this journey through Rallia's eyes, the eyes of her family and of the people living in this area of the Atlas mountains. Rallia's initial hesitation, tentativeness, and fear are eventually replaced by love, compassion, and a deep sense of belonging to her new environment.

The second was Rallia’s search for herself, represented by the search for her mother. Her confusion and discovery regarding her mother reflect aspects of her search for her own identity. Another strong element in the film was Rallia’s relationship with her “aunt”, Nedjima. This complex friendship constantly morphs from love to hate, with an unwavering display of pride and affection on the part of Nedjima, much like that of a mother and daughter.

After watching such an intricate and detailed movie there are a couple of questions that I would pose to filmmaker Mehdi Charef: What role did you want the intimidating mountains and harsh environment to play in the story? Why does Rallia’s grandfather not feel resentment toward her after what Keltoum did? I was also intrigued by the way of life in the Atlas Mountains and was curious about the number of people who live in this region. Is the film an accurate depiction of their lifestyles?

Even with these questions left unanswered, Daughter of Keltoum was a beautifully made, evocative film that addressed many important issues, and gave unique insight from the perspectives of people from two different worlds growing to understand each other.

See here for more information on Daughter of Keltoum and the visit the Bluescreen page to see the films in this year's Education Program.