26/11/2024 - Walid Mattar's modest yet lovely comedy is a cautionary tale about getting what you wish for

Sarra Hannachi, Mohamed Amine Hamzaoui and Seifeddine Omran in The Bridge

If there were a genie listening to Foued (Mohamed Amine Hamzaoui), Tita (Seifeddine Omran) and Safa (Sarra Hannachi), he must have a very ironic sense of humour. The trio, living on the bad side of the bridge in Tunis, meet together to shoot a hip-hop video – and thus begins Walid Mattar’s second film The Bridge, which premiered in the Horizons of Arab Cinema section at the 45th Cairo Film Festival. Foued is directing and Tita is rapping, while Safa is starring and producing content on social media. The clip is a clumsy and cheap copy of American videos and the lines are about being rich, partying and doing things like Pablo Escobar – so when they find a huge bag of cocaine in the river, it seems like they won a lottery ticket.

After casting off the idea of handing the drugs over to the police, the trio starts selling and using the coke, while trying to navigate their “emerging careers”. They go to night clubs on the other side to the bridge, where one of the owners want to profit from their illegal dealing, and Foued meets a beautiful and fashionable girl, who seems like a promise to a better life. Meanwhile, Safa is trying to get by, not only by pushing drugs but also by selling her hand-made jewellery and creating an alternative life for herself on Instagram.

While it all may sound like a blunt satire about Gen Z and the all-consuming influence of capitalism and American pop culture, The Bridge creates a warm and charming atmosphere with a lot of deadpan humour, and the three lead performances are endearing. Walid Mattar doesn’t look down on his characters nor mock them, but has a lot of sympathy for them, and under the comedic lining, he smuggles in a portrait of Tunisian youth whose appetites are much bigger than their opportunities. It’s a reality where most relationships are transactional, and what can be earned easily can just as easily be taken away. As a result, there is little sense in trying to "make it" anyway. It’s friendship that has real value, and although we've heard this a thousand and one times, it is comforting to hear it again. The genie was after all in a decent mood when he brought that trio of characters together. 

The Bridge is a co-production between Tunisian outfit Fakroun Production and French company Ici et Là Production. French sales agent Sudu Connexion oversees the world rights.