Rock the Casbah

Brilliant in every aspect! Acting, mood, customes, architecture, so underrated! Must see

Rock the Casbah starts out like a comedy. Sofia (Morjana Alaoui) returns home to Morocco for the funeral of her father, a wealthy but controlling entrepreneur who, despite dying, appears as a ghost commenting on the proceedings for much of the film. Sofia left claustrophobic Morocco years ago to be an actress in America where her only roles have been as terrorists and generic villains much to her family's shame.

Her sisters are wealthy and judgmental, but they have their own problems and are married to men they don't love but who their father approved of. Furthering the tension in this family reunion is the fact that Sofia was close to her eldest sister who died years ago and who's death she blames on her father.

There is lots of fun cultural and family commentary but when the secrets are revealed they are actually quite dark and disturbing and the last minute shift in tone is so abrupt it's quite jarring in context with the rest of the film.

The actors are great and Laïla Marrakchi has a keen eye for the lifestyle of the rich in Morocco but ultimately the film doesn't make a great impression.

I just watched this movie and was shocked to see on IMDb there are no reviews ! The movie takes place in Morocco and deals with many family dilemmas reflected in the lives of a mother and her 3 daughters... I'll leave you to watch the story as it unfolds beautifully with many secrets unveiling at different times that will test the backbone of this family.

The acting is great, all were convincing as Moroccans with good accents and french languages, the highlight was Nadine Labaki's performance, though a secondary role she stole the scenes with her funny "bitchy" attitude and added many comic relief along with her Grandma... Nadine is famous Lebanese director known for "Caramel" but she is also an acclaimed actress. The multi-talented Hiyam Abbas who appears in many foreign movies, she manages to reincarnate the role of a Moroccan mother with strict high values and morals. All in all this movie was a nice surprise and was thoroughly enjoyable from start to end, it is well written, shot, and directed by Laila Marrakchi. Not to be missed !!!

From the opening introduction by Omar Sharif, I knew I was going to love this film, it was simply a matter of how deep that love would be.

Well, it's 9/10 deep.

The story is that patriarch Moulay Hassan Bel Amor, (played by Sharif) has passed away and his family and friends are gathering to mourn him, remember him and, as it turns out, occasionally curse him.

Beyond that, I'll give no spoilers here but this family, like all families, has long-buried secrets and pain that it ignores as best it can.

The central role is that of Sofia (Morjana Alaoui), one of the daughters who has not been home in years. She's now a successful Hollywood actress and has her own reasons for estrangement from the wider family. Now, she's back in the family home, accompanied by her young son.

Through the frame of the loss of their father, the remaining three sisters and mother examine both his and their lives. This could be clunky and awkward but it all unfolds elegantly and believably: no lumpy exposition dumps here. Writer/director Laïla Marrakchi balances the interweaving narratives perfectly.

Some of the plots are slyly humorous, some of them tragic but they balance and in that balance they feel real, they connect. It would have been easy to gallop into shouty family revelation drama or overdose on whimsy and farce. Rock The Casbah does neither and though all the cast are fabulous in their portrayals, the lion's share of the credit must go to Marrakchi - her command of the art form of cinema shines in every scene, in every frame.

The cast also mesh without a hiccup, the three central sisters' relationship in particular is detailed and rich, one second they're screaming at each other, the next crying on each other's shoulders. And it all makes emotional sense. But, truly, the entire ensemble are all on 100% here, there's not a single actor who isn't in the same vibe as the rest of them.

I really love this film and I know I'll be thinking of scenes from it years from now. It's funny, sad, and leaves you thinking about more than you think the film explicitly addressed.

Moulay Hassan Ben Amor, a wealthy industrialist and father of 4 daughters has died.For his funeral all the family will be together.Sofia ,who went to United States for her carreer of actress and her sisters with her husbands.All remember then the story of the patriarch and some family secrets are revealed. I enjoyed very much this film : a dramatic but also pleasant comedy about a rich family with it's mutual reproaches and tremendous secrets. Laïla Marrakchi is a Moroccan director (I have seen some months ago "Marock", a very good comedy) and she is married to Alexandre Aja, a famous horror movies director (Haute tension). The performance of Omar Sharif as the patriarch is very good., as the performances of Morjana Alaoui, Hiam Abbass and the other actresses in this film.