''Amal'' is a 2023 Belgian drama film directed by Jawad Rhalib and written by Rhalib, David Lambert, and Chloé Léonil. It stars

Lubna Azabal Lubna Azabal (born 15 August 1973) is a Belgian actress. Career Azabal was born on 15 August 1973 in Brussels to a Moroccan father and a Spanish mother.Abu Nuwas Abu Nuwas () (756-8) was a classical Arabic poet, and the foremost representative of the modern (''muhdath'') poetry that developed during the first years of the Abbasid Caliphate. He also entered the folkloric tradition, appearing several ...

sparks resistance from her community. The cast also features

Fabrizio Rongione Fabrizio Rongione (born 3 March 1973) is a Belgian screenwriter, film producer and actor with Italian citizenship. Career Rongione was born in Brussels, Belgium of Italian descent. He collaborated with Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne in ''Roset ...

Catherine Salée Catherine Salée is a Belgian actress. Biography From 1991 to 1994, Catherine Salée took classes at the Royal Conservatory of Liège The Royal Conservatory of Liège (RCL) () is a historic conservatory in Liège, Belgium. It is one of four ...

, Kenza Benboutcha, Ethelle Gonzalez Lardued,

Johan Heldenbergh Johan Heldenbergh (born 9 February 1967) is a Belgian actor, playwright, screenwriter, theatre director and film director. He gained international fame by starring in films, including ''A Day in a Life'' (2007), '' Moscow, Belgium'' (2008), '' T ...

Babetida Sadjo Babetida Sadjo, born on 19 September 1983 in Bafatá, Guinea-Bissau, is a Belgian actress. Biography Babetida grew up in Guinea-Bissau until she was 12 years old, before moving to Hanoi in Vietnam where she attended the Lycée français Alex ...

, and Mehdy Khachachi. The film had its world premiere at the 50th Ghent Film Festival on 12 October 2023. It received critical acclaim for its portrayal of the conflicts between personal beliefs and societal expectations as well as for its screenplay and cast performances. At the

14th Magritte Awards The 14th Magritte Awards ceremony, presented by the Académie André Delvaux, honored the best films of 2024 in Belgium. It took place on 22 February 2025 at the Flagey, in the historic site of Place Eugène Flagey, Ixelles, beginning at 8:20&nb ...

, ''Amal'' received nine nominations, including

Best Film The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Bes ...

and

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * As ...

for Rhalib, winning

Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress award ...

for Azabal.

Plot

The film centers on Amal (

in her curriculum leads to backlash, initially from her students and eventually from their parents. This opposition grows into a campaign of harassment, leaving Amal increasingly isolated and under pressure. The story also highlights the experiences of her students, including Monia (Kenza Benboutcha), a lesbian teenager facing bullying, and Rachid (Mehdy Khachachi), the nephew of Nabil (

), a religion teacher and imam at the school.

Critical reception

''Amal'' has been widely praised for its nuanced portrayal of complex social issues and the strength of its performances, with particular emphasis on the young cast. The

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

website '' Cinebel'' assigned the film a weighted average score of 8.5 out of 10, based on four critics.

Accolades

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 21916652 2023 films 2023 drama films 2020s Belgian films Arabic-language drama films Belgian drama films Belgian LGBTQ-related films Films about high school debate Films about Islam Films about school bullying French-language Belgian films Lesbian-related films Films featuring a Best Actress Magritte Award–winning performance