Promises of “the sweetest” turn into nightmares in the new film by Paris-based Moroccan director Leila Marrakchi. strawberryand its original title, No more candyhints at that hoped-for sweetness. The story is inspired by real-life cases of Moroccan women who travel to Spain for seasonal work picking fruit. Their plan: earn money through hard work in hot weather, which they can take back to their families back home to improve their lives. Their reality: living conditions that leave much to be desired, less money than they were promised, exploitation and modern-day slavery, and even sexual harassment and prostitution.
Lucky Number is handling international sales for the film, which will have its world premiere at Un Concern Regard in Cannes xxx.
Marrakesh is known for features such as Maroc and Casbah rock and TV series such as the French spy thriller The office And Damien Chazelle The handsHe co-wrote the screenplay with Delphine Agut. Nisreen Al Radi (Everyone loves Toda, Adam), Hajar Jrejaa, Hind Brik, Fatima Atef, Al-Arabi Muhammad Igbar, and Etsasso Arana. The film was produced by Juliette Schramek (coward, Emotional value, The worst person in the world) through its own production banner Lumen, alongside the Moroccan Mont Fleuri Production, the Spanish Fasten Films, and the Belgian Mirage Films.
Marrakchi spoke to THR on strawberryAnd why she had to make a film about Moroccan women working in Spanish fields to show their invisible heroism, and the echoes of #MeToo and neocolonialism in their experience.
What inspired you to make this film about a socioeconomic issue that I had no idea about before watching it strawberry?
The first time I heard about this story was through a friend of mine who is a journalist who specializes in immigration issues. I wrote an article for New York Times About these women. So I went with her to Andalusia, discovered this crazy world, and met some Moroccan women. I was truly touched by these women who decided to leave Morocco and leave their families behind in order to get money for a better life in Morocco.
I was influenced by these strong women. It is difficult to leave any country for another, even for three or four months for work. And I was really impressed by them. After the three days I spent with my friend, I decided to do more research and make a film about this situation.
We see terrible things, from poor living conditions, lack of health support and these women not receiving their wages as promised, all the way to abuse and prostitution. Have you also heard from women who have had better experiences?
I met a lot of women working in the strawberry fields who had been through bad conditions and poor conditions [abuse]But there were also some who went to Spain, had a good experience and came back to Morocco with money. They had the opportunity to have a better life in Morocco.
So, there are many stories, and they are based on experience. My film tells this story, about the problems of harassment and prostitution, and I try to show how difficult the work and conditions are. These women go there for a good reason, because they want to follow a dream, but then there is the reality of work that no Spanish citizen would want to do.
What can you tell us about the trial we see in the film? Is this based on any specific legal issue?
There have been many trials, in which workers and pickers have tried to speak out about what happened in the greenhouses and in the fins. But there is no good solution, because people are afraid to speak out, so they hold back because they have done so [face] A lot of pressure, and this is a huge, huge industry.
For these Moroccan women, it is difficult to speak out and express their opinion, because they could lose everything in Spain and in their homeland. [home] nation. What I show in my film is not simple at all. Speaking publicly is a privilege.
It is a sad form of neo-colonialism. These women come from a background where this is their first time leaving Morocco. They never travelled. They do not have higher education. Most of them come from the countryside. And it’s complicated when you don’t speak the language, when you don’t have the education, when you don’t have anything and you decide to leave your country to have a better life.
I am glad that you mentioned the topic of language. I really felt the women’s struggles because I couldn’t understand them nor the Spanish speakers without translation. I also felt how difficult it was to translate the different cultural and religious challenges they face…
Yes, it’s also a movie about your voice sometimes [muted] Or stolen. Translation can be difficult, because your words can get transformed, and you have no weapons to defend yourself, because they do not have the education and language [skills]. So, this is also a film about the current relationship between the Western world and the world [Global] south. It’s about racism and many other layers.
I enjoyed, but was surprised, by the scenes in which the women joked and laughed together, showing how they had a shared communal experience. Tell me a little bit about why these scenes were important to include?
I like those. It’s really important to humanize these women. We live in the Western world, and sometimes we don’t realize that these people can love, can be funny, and can be women. [just like everybody else]. The big challenge with this movie for me was not to make it miserable. For me, it was really important to show these women as true heroines and show the empowerment of these women. But they can also be cruel towards each other. It’s not black and white.
Tell me how you chose the “sweetest” titles or strawberry in English?
It’s like a logo, a slogan. And I love the idea of playing with those two things – something that is so beautiful is also difficult at the same time. Dreaming of a better life comes with hard work.
strawberry It will give the world a chance to see your amazing group of actresses, who are known in Morocco but can still be discovered by people elsewhere. How did you think or deal with some of the Moroccan women you met in the film?
We used real cameramen as extras in the film.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
I want to show up for these women who are often not visible. Through this film, I want to make them visible as strong women. It’s a tribute to these women, because they are so strong and amazing. They are like a rock. I was very impressed by the Moroccan women I met.
