Synopsis
Set in Bab El-Oued, one of the most popular neighbourhoods of Algiers, ‘Omar Gatlato’ broke with Algerian cinema’s customary post-independence heroism by diving deep into the youth culture of the time. In a quite cheerful, if at times ironic manner, it follows young Omar and his closest friends on their daily pursuit of happiness and their attempts to escape the limitations of poor housing conditions, gender segregation, unemployment and inadequate work conditions. At times gently mocking their macho values in displaying their ambivalence toward the opposite sex and, for the first time in Algerian cinema, employing the syncretistic slang of urban Algerian youth, the film nevertheless provides a sympathetic portrait of these young men’s aspirations for some sort of alternative culture and a different lifestyle.
28 дек 2023
