Khadija (Saadia Bentaïeb) is a fifty-eight-year-old Maghrebi cleaning woman living in Brussels in the wake of the 2016 bombings that shook the city. After work one night, she falls asleep on the last subway train, wakes up at the end of the line and has no choice but to make her way home—all the way across the city—on foot. Along the way, she has a series of encounters: with a security guard, a convenience store clerk, a group of teenagers. She asks for help and she gives it and slowly, steadily makes her way. Director Bas Devos’ lightness of touch combines with the richness of Grimm Vanderkerckhove’s 16mm images to create a small wonder of humanistic storytelling.
Photo Credit: Saadia Bentaïeb in "Ghost Tropic" Courtesy of Cinema Guild.
- Year2019
- Runtime85 min
- LanguageFrench with English subtitles
- CountryBelgium
- PremiereDirectors' Fortnight - Cannes Film Festival
- RatingNot Rated
- DirectorBas Devos
- ScreenwriterBas Devos
- ProducerMarc Goyens, Bas Devos, Nabil Ben Yadir, Benoit Roland, Tomas Leyers
- Co-ProducerPetra Goedings & Sibylle Smets
- CastSaadia Bentaïeb
- CinematographerGrimm Vendekerckhove
- EditorDieter Diependaele & Bas Devos
- Sound DesignBoris Debackere
- MusicBrecht Ameel
Khadija (Saadia Bentaïeb) is a fifty-eight-year-old Maghrebi cleaning woman living in Brussels in the wake of the 2016 bombings that shook the city. After work one night, she falls asleep on the last subway train, wakes up at the end of the line and has no choice but to make her way home—all the way across the city—on foot. Along the way, she has a series of encounters: with a security guard, a convenience store clerk, a group of teenagers. She asks for help and she gives it and slowly, steadily makes her way. Director Bas Devos’ lightness of touch combines with the richness of Grimm Vanderkerckhove’s 16mm images to create a small wonder of humanistic storytelling.
Photo Credit: Saadia Bentaïeb in "Ghost Tropic" Courtesy of Cinema Guild.
- Year2019
- Runtime85 min
- LanguageFrench with English subtitles
- CountryBelgium
- PremiereDirectors' Fortnight - Cannes Film Festival
- RatingNot Rated
- DirectorBas Devos
- ScreenwriterBas Devos
- ProducerMarc Goyens, Bas Devos, Nabil Ben Yadir, Benoit Roland, Tomas Leyers
- Co-ProducerPetra Goedings & Sibylle Smets
- CastSaadia Bentaïeb
- CinematographerGrimm Vendekerckhove
- EditorDieter Diependaele & Bas Devos
- Sound DesignBoris Debackere
- MusicBrecht Ameel