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Benm’Barek’s ‘Derrière Les Palmiers’ Opens in France, Probing Power and Desire in Tangier

The drama links private desire to Morocco’s social hierarchies.

Overview

  • The feature opens in French theaters, bringing a tense love triangle set in Tangier to a wider audience.
  • Sara Giraudeau plays Marie, with Driss Ramdi as Mehdi and Nadia Kounda as Selma.
  • The film explores unequal ties between wealthy French homeowners and Moroccan workers in a city reshaped by gentrification.
  • Director Meryem Benm’Barek says the sexual scenes are vital to show Mehdi’s motives and to make the story coherent.
  • At its Marrakech competition screening in December 2025, some Moroccan viewers left during scenes seen as daring in that context.