The French-Algerian director Rachid Bouchareb returns to Cannes with a film titled “Our Brothers.” It refers to the death of a young Algerian student during protests in the late 1980s.
In the presence of the director and his entire team, the film “Our Brothers” was screened at the Debussy theater. Inspired by a true story, it centers on the young Malik Oussekine who died as a result of police violence. This film portrays the journey of this young man, always accompanied by his Bible, wanting to convert to Christianity to be considered a true Frenchman. It also shows the political context in France and the tensions that prevailed during this period. The film parallels the story of young Oussekine with that of another student who also died from police violence. It highlights the differences between the two families: one poor and isolated, unsure of how to react, and the other rather well-established in society, managing to bring the matter to President Mitterrand’s attention and publicize it. The actors perfectly embodied their respective roles, among them Réda Kateb, who played the role of young Malik’s brother.
