'Papicha' Review: Stellar performances make the Algerian drama worth watching despite its scrambled narrative
Picture this. Two women playing around with a haik, a traditional outer garment worn by Algerian women, imagine that they're at a fashion show, and there's much cheer in the air. Their laughter echoes. One leaves, and while she's walking away, she hears a gunshot. She doesn't have a sister anymore.
Mounia Meddour's film 'Papicha' captures the grim normalcy of Algeria in the 1990s, where the nation was embroiled in a bloody civil war, where a questionably democratic government was up against a violent Islamist insurgency. Fundamentalists dictate what women should and should not wear, and show no mercy to those who have a rather Western outlook. Woe befalls those who try to 'force' a Western agenda into their daily lives. The women don't want to take these rules lying down and struggle to find ways to break free. This desperation to break free of an oppressive regime forms the premise of 'Papicha'. The weapon of choice in this rebellion is fashion.
University students Nedjma (Lyna Khoudri) and Wassila (Shirine Boutella) are close friends, who want to party like everyone else their age. They sneak off campus to party in a nightclub, where Nedjma sells clothes she has designed to her friends. The opening sequence shows them having fun and singing in a car, and abruptly, the tone turns tense, as they're accosted by fundamentalists on the road. The enthusiasm returns, after a few minutes of tension, and they dance their heart out at the nightclub. Meddour's film oscillates between the effects of an oppressive state on young women, and the strength of the bonds between the friends to carry them through these perilous times. Nedjma aspires to be a fashion designer, as there is a sense of fluidity and freedom about these creative pursuits. She's furious with the posters on the college walls that demand women to wear abayas and hijabs. After her sister Linda (Meryem Medjkane) is murdered, Nedjma throws caution to the wind and decides to fight back in the way she knows how -- organizing a fashion show featuring clothes inspired by the haik.
While Nedjma's character is fully fleshed out with stunning nuances, the same cannot be said for the rest. This disrupts the impact and flow of the film, as it has the potential to be more hard-hitting and subtle. The characters exist without cause and there appears to be confusion on what to do with the love interests, who are just painted in broad strokes of conservatism and intolerance. At times, the narrative seems uneven and goes off on a different tangent, altogether. While Meddour's film is the most effective when it's being subtle, the climactic ending seems desperate to deliver a punch in the gut and send shockwaves through the audience. This has a rather diluted impact, further worsened by a flashback montage.
Despite all its flaws and scrambled narratives, 'Papicha' (which means pretty girl in Algerian) makes for an intriguing watch, due to its emotional intensity, the fierce will of women stranded in hostile lands that are their home, and their persevering friendship. The performances by the cast are stellar, natural, and keep the film going, through the numerous road bumps.