Marock: The Controversy

Thanks to the latest Tel Quel cover story, we're hip to the controversial new film Marock. As Tel Quel's cover declares: "The film of all taboos: Islam, Jews, Money, Sex, Drugs, Alcohol, Swear Words." Sure sounds juicy!

Now the basic plot line makes Marock (a pun on the French word for the country: Maroc) sound like your typical teen drama. Seventeen year-old girl falls for forbidden love at hip nightclub, her dogmatic family objects, despite the torment she pursues her love, and high-speed car chases at night ensue. It's sort of like West Side Story meets Rebel Without a Cause - transported to Casablanca. (Check out the video trailer on the film's website to get a flavor.)

But the Tel Quel cover story reveals deeper layers of significance beneath the trite teen romance plot. You see, 17-year-old Rita falls for a cute... Jewish guy (evidently one of the few teenage Jews who remains in Casablanca's 4,000-strong Jewish community). And they get busy on screen. And her brother is an Islamist. And... you get the idea. This is not your typical Moroccan fare.

Thanks to the View From Fez blog, we also learn that Marock has faced calls for censorship from conservative and nationalist voices in Morocco's artistic community:

The Secretary General of the [Moroccan Theatre] Syndicate, Mohammed Hassan El Joundi stressed “this kind of production must not be screened in a country which respects its traditions.