Exile
Tunisia, Luxembourg, France, Qatar, United Arab Emirates
|
2025
|
Color
|
127 min
At one of Tunisia's largest steel mills, Mohamed suffers a brutal accident: an explosion leaves him with a metal fragment embedded in his head, a strange presence that slowly begins to rust inside him. Removed from his regular post and demoted to a security guard, his life takes an unexpected turn. As his body deteriorates and the pain becomes constant, Mohamed embarks on a path of revenge that transcends personal vendetta. What begins as a settling of scores soon reveals a much broader plot, a conspiracy that spreads in the shadows and will transform his struggle into something far greater than his own survival.
Elegant and beautifully shot in sepia tones with a touch of rusted orange, Exile is the second film by Tunisian auteur Mehdi Hmili, presented at the Locarno Film Festival.
Technical Details
Direction:
Mehdi Hmili
Cinematography:
Farouk Laaridh
Music:
Amélie Legrand
Language:
Arabic
Production:
Moufida Fedhila, Mehdi Hmili, Donato Rotunno, Michel Balagu
Sound:
Amélie Legrand
Subtitles:
Spanish and English
Screenplay:
Mehdi Hmili
Editing:
Rawchen Mizouri
Cast:
Ghanem Zrelli, Maram Ben Aziza, Slim Baccar, Younes Farhi, Mohamed Kolsi, Mourad Gharsalli
Director
Mehdi Hmili
Mehdi Hmili is a Tunisian director, screenwriter, and producer whose bold and deeply evocative work has garnered international recognition. During his time in France, he created a black-and-white trilogy, as intimate as it is poetic, exploring love and exile with a unique perspective. In 2021, he directed and co-produced Streams, a film that premiered globally at the 74th Locarno Film Festival, where it captured the attention of critics and audiences alike. The film received widespread acclaim and had a notable run at international festivals, winning awards such as Best Actress in Cairo. His latest film, Exile, stems from the need to transform a space marked by pain and alienation into a true battlefield.
