1 June 21:00 | Odeon Luxe West End

After serving a four-year sentence for vandalising his workplace, Rafik has one singular plan, to take his son to the mountains and reveal his remarkable discovery. 

Tunisian writer-director Mohamed Ben Attia, acclaimed with the Best First Feature award at the 2016 Berlinale for Hedi, now brings forth his third feature, Behind The Mountains. This suspenseful fantasy thriller follows the story of Rafik (Majd Mastoura), a man who may or may not be able to fly, while he’s looking to reconnect with his young son, Yassine (Walid Bouchhioua) and reveal his secret. The film blends supernatural fantasy with social realism, delving into the intricacies of complex emotional states and the dynamics within parent-child relationships. 

After a violent outburst at his soul-crushing office job, Rafik finds himself seated in handcuffs in a police station. Whatever drove him to his breaking point is no longer important as he grapples with the possibility that he may have stumbled upon a supernatural gift. 

Upon his release, four years after the incident that led to his imprisonment, Rafik takes Yassine on a journey far from the city to the mountainous countryside. Along the way, they cross paths with a nameless young shepherd (Samer Bisharat) who, enthralled by Rafik’s supernatural abilities, will soon become his loyal disciple. In an unfortunate turn of events, they find themselves entangled in criminal activities, leading to a tense encounter with a wealthy couple that alters their lives in unexpected ways. 

Attia’s script holds a potent message: that of the human spirit transcending our natural bonds and becoming free through unwavering self-belief from what society imposed on us at any cost, soaring into the boundless realm of dreams.

Mohamed Ben Attia | 98 min | Tunisia, Belgium, France, Italy, KSA, Qatar