Halfaouine: Boy of the Terraces

In this unusual feature from Tunisia, a twelve-year-old boy takes advantage of the erotic opportunities his childhood status gives him to ogle women in his mother's bathhouse, and to spy on the attractive woman next door, who is conducting a clandestine affair with a tradesman whom he is friends with. Eventually, his family hires a young girl as a servant, and thanks to her interest in him, at last he has an opportunity to experience a full-fledged sexual encounter. This coming-of-age story features fairly explicit sexual scenes and female nudity which are not commonly found in films made in Muslim countries. Not only that, but women in it are shown to be frankly sexual beings - yet another departure from the cultural norms.

In this unusual feature from Tunisia, a twelve-year-old boy takes advantage of the erotic opportunities his childhood status gives him to ogle women in his mother's bathhouse, and to spy on the attractive woman next door, who ... Read more