Hot Docs 2022 presents Café Désirs

Café Désirs, a three character-driven reality drama, is a poignant documentary, written and directed by critically acclaimed Quebec filmmaker Raymonde Provencher which shines a light on male masculinity and sexuality in Algeria as seen through the perspective of three young Algerian men, Malik, Badredine, and Oussama, who live in the City of Constantine.   

Many of the scenes take place in cafes, a bastion of the male domain, where men rule and women are shunned except, perhaps, in Badredine’s cafe where women are welcome to visit in the afternoon but seldom do.  We first meet Malik, a twenty-something student, having a coffee at a cafe.  We follow him as he walks the streets of Constantine as he window shops, steps into and out of shops, and then, continues strolling the streets of his city.  Malik narrates how much he loves Algeria and how much he misses the cafes when he travels abroad.  He tells us about his frustration with Algerian society and how difficult it is for a boy to be affectionate with a girl for its taboo and Algerian society is repressed.  Close-ups of the protagonists are juxtaposed with wide-angle shots to create intimate portraits of her subjects within the context of space and time.  We are then introduced to Badredine, inside his cafe, who explains that cafes have always been off-limits to girls, and finally, cutting to Oussama, an unemployed university graduate.  Oussama walks the streets of his city, taking a moment to shop or look at the merchandise, and finally, stopping for a coffee at an outdoor cafe.  He tells us that he is dissatisfied with his life because he can’t find what he’s looking for and lives with certain frustrations and that life is complicated for Muslims since they are not permitted to have sex before marriage.  

The film cuts to a shot of Malik looking out of his window.  Provencher juxtaposes images of his neighborhood against his backstory.  We learn that he lives with his mother and grandparents and that he would love to have his own place but it isn’t possible.  The film continues with Malik on his university campus narrating an incident when he was told that it was forbidden for him to sit on the grounds of the campus.  When he’s recounting Algeria’s recent history, Provencher brilliantly weaves in footage of Algeria in the 70s and 80s followed by footage of Algeria’s bloody civil war which frames and contextualizes the lives of these three young men for they have grown up in a repressive regime with taboos and prohibitions.

 

The film cuts to Oussama commenting on Algeria’s dark decade where everything was forbidden as he takes a ride on an aerial tramway over the city.  He opens up and tells us of a recent trip to the desert he took where he met someone but that nothing came of it except that the connection turned his life and the world upside down. The film continues with Oussama visiting his grandparents’ house.  On their terrace, a place where he feels safe, he talks about his youth, his experiences growing up and his difficulties, and how he coped.  He says that as a child he sensed that he was different from others but still the same.  He talks in a roundabout way about his sexuality but doesn’t call it by name and how it is not accepted.  It was not okay for him to study with a female school friend but it was okay for him to hang out with other boys where things could happen.  He survived his neighborhood because he was able to defend himself and had an advantage which was his older brothers who could look out for him.  

 

The film cuts to Badredine on his way to the gym.  He narrates that he likes to work out because girls like men with muscles.  He also tells us that exercise is a great stress reliever.  The film cuts to his cafe and we learn about his profession and see his Facebook pages.  He tells us that he is different from the other guys on the street who flirt with girls because he considers flirting degrading to women.  Provencher cuts away to scenes of men ogling women.  Badredine tells us Algerian men live with sexual frustration because everything is haram, forbidden.  He tells us that he kicked out a guy from his café who was taking liberties with a girl and that he doesn’t approve of his sister’s dating.  

The film cuts to Malik and his two friends sitting at an outdoor cafe talking about women and Algerian society.  When the conversation turns negative, Malik interjects and sets the record straight for his two friends.  The film cuts to Malik seated in his apartment talking about sexual frustration and that it is a form of oppression.  He says many Arabs in other Arabic societies have access to pornography but not in Algeria.  The film cuts to Oussama who says that people seek out isolated places inside and outside the city in order to feel free and to get away from “people who devour each other with their eyes and words.”  

 

The film cuts to Malik who meets up with Oussama in a cafe where they have a tete-a -tete.  But even in a cafe, they aren’t really free to talk about frustration openly and Malik speaks to Oussama sotto voce. The film continues with Malik talking about his early life.  He tells us that he was bullied growing up in his rough neighborhood, and wished that he had an older brother or sister.  As a child, he was exposed to men masturbating in the stairwells of his building.  In one of the most powerful scenes in the film, Malik standing inside the entrance of his building which is dimly lit opens up and tells us that he was cornered by a neighbor as a young child and sexually assaulted.  You feel his pain and suffering.   He says that many frustrated people who have trouble with their sexuality take it out on other adults and kids and that they even talk about it to their friends in the coffee shops.  Malik is unable to tell his mom about his experience for he fears the impact it would have on her psyche.  Social pressures and the Islamic religion prevent someone from coming out or outing themselves for fear of being stigmatized.  The film cuts to Oussama and Malik visiting a majestic spot overlooking a beautiful gorge.  Here, Malik introduces the topic of suicide, and the juxtaposition of the beauty of the surroundings where the topic of suicide is discussed is another visually powerful scene.

 

The film cuts to Badredine and his friends sitting in his dimly lit shop where the curtains are drawn smoking a hookah.  They agree that their society is sexually frustrated and the secret ritual that men including married men use to relieve their frustration is the only solution for Algerian men.  The mingling of the sexes is taboo where segregation of the sexes is de rigueur and imposed by society.  Badredine introduces another solution to his friends.  He tells them about finding relief with other guys.  They laugh at his suggestion.  In a close-up shot, Badredine says that same-sex relations have to do with frustration because women are not accessible and that men need a release and two men together don’t arouse suspicion.  

 

The film cuts to Oussama at dusk surveying a scenic spot listening to music then cuts to a scene of him sitting in a stairwell hinting in a roundabout way whether God really does disapprove of sex same relations and then back to him standing at dusk high above the city.  The film cuts to Malik who says that the Prophet Mohammed enjoyed a fulfilling sexual life and that he wanted it for others but ideology got in the way.  The film then cuts to Badredine talking about his ideal woman and that girls needn’t be virgins to marry.

 

The editing makes the film.  Scenes move fluidly between each of the protagonists allowing for the different perspectives to the surface, and the cutaways of the City of Constantine situate their stories in a cultural context giving their stories depth and meaning.  Kudos to Malik, Badredine, and Oussama who risked much for opening up and sharing with us their lives, experiences, and perspectives, and to Provencher for creating a documentary that shines a light on a culture where sexual freedoms and expressions are still taboo.  Cafe Desirs is deserving of your attention.

 

Café Désirs first aired at Hot Docs in 2016

Café Désirs will be available for online streaming April 28 at 9:00am

Tickets can be purchased here!