Page 67 - VH Magazine N°186 - Septembre & Octobre 2020

seeming to long for the Casa portrayed clearly, the intention of Ayouch’s film. incredibly well-thought-out, at times
in the classic film. The film attempts to At times the film is an overload of infor- emotionally engaging. The interaction
understand the social and political struc- mation, attempting to explain complex between characters is limited, with
ture of Morocco. Razzia presents for all issues through thinly-sketched charac- Ayouch loosely attempting to link each
to see what Ayouch considers blatant ters, often poorly developed and lacking of the stories towards the very end of
double standards in a society that can depth. Being thrust rapidly into the the movie, but this was a little too late.
be simultaneously liberal and conser- stories of each character, and never Ayouch displays the essence of the
vative. Ayouch portrays modern-day having the time to connect with them. human being in each of his charac-
Casablanca as repressive, with Razzia The film is confusing at times, with ters. The movie succeeds in raising
an intentionally angry statement against inelegant transitions between storylines. intriguing questions through its raw
the injustice, which lacks subtlety - However, the plots of each character are depiction of what the director sees
as societal barriers that exist in the
city. However, there are questions left
abruptly unanswered, blurring the
overarching message of the film.
Ayouch shows us that dreams and love
are not always an automatic path to
achieve our destinies if they are stifled
by society at odds with itself. At points
during the film, Ayouch displays an
artistic ability to link storylines, but
this is irregular and at points weak.
If he had pulled it off, the film would
be a masterpiece. However, I think he
struggled with the ambitious task of
combining different timeframes and
multi-faceted characters.

Septembre & Octobre 2020 VH magazine 67