Sexuality and the Police State in Ferid Boughedir’s Halfaouine

When I first watched the movie Halfouine, I did not pick up on the theme of homosexuality versus heterosexuality, so Prof. Lang's presentation really helped me understand different analytical viewpoints. Last semester I took an Intro to film class which did help me understand a lot of the film elements of the movie. I did pick up on two aspects of the movie before the talk: a boy's (Noura) awaking to sexual maturity and the problems with censorship in the country that block this sexual awakening. For example, when the boys tried to flirt with the women, a normal part of growing up, Noura's father beat him on the feet, altering his view of sexuality. Also, when Noura wanted to stay close with his mother, his father would tell him he needs to leave the "women's sphere," which Noura is reluctant to do. Most successful movie, about awakening desire, offers amusement, comedy plays on his youth and inexperience, move between the public and private sphere of men and women, seen through the eyes of a child in an adult

I found Prof. Lang's idea of the psychoanalytical theme of sexuality, when there is a rupture from mother, and how water is associated with mother and maternal sphere, very informative, because I did not pick up on this while watching the movie, but retrospectively I see it now. His desire for the women is lodged under nostalgia, like how they, the people of Tunisia long for the country to be a free state.

 The film shows us at the end a boy freed from the oppression of his father. The film’s central allegory—the father’s heavy handed authoritarianism, embodies the presidents, the steady erosion and loss in privacy and freedom, Noura represents the society, the final shots are pessimistic. He is never integrated into the men’s world. Seliah his role model was been unjustly imprisoned. 

I think it's kind of backwards that homosexuality is connected with the corrupt government in a patriarchal society where people are unhappy. I don't think that is something you see in most American movies. If there was, there would be a lot of negative reviews and controversy. In America, I think we try to celebrate equal love rights for everyone, and wouldn't use homosexuality as an allegory for corrupt government.