Archive of films Last of Us / Akher Wahed Fina

Tunisia / Qatar / United Arab Emirates / Lebanon
2016, 94 min

Section: Another View
Year: 2017

The movie, which makes do without dialogue, deftly alternates between film poem, topical movie critique, and existential allegory or myth. On his way through Tunis to Europe, N is ripped off by human smugglers, but sheer determination gets him in a boat on the sea and then to a mysterious forest where he must find his destiny.

Synopsis

The movie deftly alternates between film poem, topical film critique, and existential allegory. Protagonist N leaves sub-Saharan Africa for Tunis where he is cheated by human smugglers; he wanders the city, never abandoning his dream of crossing the water to Europe. His cunning helps him acquire a boat so he can set out to sea; later, when the motor gives out, he finds himself in a magical region of Mediterranean forest. There he meets a guide, a hermit called M. When M dies, N must set out on another journey deeper into the heart of the wilderness, even closer to Mother Nature. The director maintains suspense in a film without dialogue by contrasting poetic images of nature with the weight of human destiny, and by balancing the narrative between various interpretative planes. The picture approaches the simple beauty of myth by means of a vision that connects the universal and the concrete, the temporal and the eternal. Here, the struggle between the human race and nature need not necessarily result in a decisive victory or loss. The Last of Us is the filmmaker’s first independent attempt at a feature.

Vít Kořínek

About the director

Ala Eddine Slim (b. 1982, Súsa, Tunisia) is a Tunisian filmmaker working in documentary, drama, and video art. A turning point in his career came with Babylon (2012, co-dir. Ismaël Chebbi, Youssef Chebbi). In a work partaking of both documentary and drama, the creators captured the living organism of a million-strong refugee camp; the film screened at multiple festivals, receiving a variety of awards. Slim reacted to the December 2010 uprisings of the Arab Spring by creating two video series: Journal d’un homme important and Journal d’une femme importante. Even prior to the eventful year of 2010, his short films drew critical attention. His feature The Last of Us artlessly aligns with his previous work and is further proof that Slim is one of Tunisia’s top young directors. On the occasion of its premiere at the 2016 Venice festival, the film won the best debut award.

Contacts

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Press kit

The Last of Us

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About the film

Color, DCP

Section:	Another View

Director:	Ala Eddine Slim
Screenplay:	Ala Eddine Slim
Dir. of Photography:	Amine Messadi
Music:	Tarek Louati
Editor:	Ala Eddine Slim
Art Director:	Malek Gnaoui
Producer:	Mohamed Ismail Louati, Kamel Laaridhi, Chawki Knis, Ala Eddine Slim
Production:	Exit Productions, Inside Productions, Madbox Studios
Coproduction:	SVP
Cast:	Jawhar Soudani, Fathi Akkari, Jihed Fourti
Sales:	Still Moving