Cinema

'In a Whisper', intense Tunisian drama against discrimination

Director Leyla Bouzid's new feature film in competition at the Berlin Film Festival

by Andrea Chimento

14 February 2026

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Among the very first films to be presented in competition at the Berlin Film Festival, there is already a serious contender to enter the final palmarès: it is 'In a Whisper', the third feature by Tunisian director and screenwriter Leyla Bouzid, after 'As Soon as I Open My Eyes' in 2015 and 'A Story of Love and Desire' in 2021.

A co-production between Tunisia and France (the director had moved to Paris after graduating to study French literature), "In a Whisper" tells the story of the return home of Lilia, a 30-year-old Tunisian woman who has been living in France for some time. The reason is the funeral of her uncle, about whose death hover mysteries and secrets that the family does not want to talk about.

Lilia will thus find herself confronted with people who do not know much about her life and, in particular, about the girl she is in love with and lives with.

The main theme that this film deals with is discrimination, denouncing a society and a law that do not accept same-sex relationships. However, it is not only Lilia who is the victim of this absurd view, but also her deceased uncle, whose homosexuality has always been silenced by a family that has never accepted him for who he was.

Freedom has always been one of the main topics dealt with in Leyla Bouzid's films and in this case her indictment of Tunisian society is even more evident and incisive.

Portraits of women

"In a Whisper" is, however, also a touching reflection on the relationships between women of different generations: in the glances that Lilia and her mother exchange (in particular a smile that comes towards the end) there is all the emotional and psychological load of female figures who struggle and have struggled to find their place in a strongly patriarchal society.

The camera observes the faces of the women of the family at the centre of the film with a gaze that is at once harsh and delicate, only running into a few somewhat didactic passages, but always keeping the audience's attention high for the story being told.

Excellent work by a cast in which the always excellent Hiam Abbass as the mother of the protagonist stands out.

"In a Whisper" is thus yet another confirmation of the very strong sensitivity that so many authors of Tunisian origin are offering with their films: among them, the best known is Kaouther Ben Hania, winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the last Venice Film Festival with "The Voice of Hind Rajab".

Hangar Rojo

Another of the surprises of these first days of the Berlinale 2026 comes from the Perspectives section, dedicated to debut works, where 'Hangar Rojo' by Chilean director Juan Pablo Sallato found its place.

A co-production between Chile, Argentina and Italia (Rain Dogs, Berta Film and Caravan participated for our country), the film is set in Santiago, Chile, on a fateful date: 11 September 1973. As the military coup unfolds in the country, Captain Jorge Silva, former head of Air Force Intelligence, receives an order destined to change his life forever: to turn the Air Force Academy, where he now trains young cadets, into a detention and torture centre.

Inspired by real events and the book 'Disparen a la bandada' by Fernando Villagrán, 'Hangar Rojo' is a powerful product, as much in its content as in its staging enhanced by a refined black and white.

Telling the story of men caught in the machinery of military power at the exact moment when history forces them to choose sides, the film also brings us viewers to feel the ethical dilemmas on our skin, providing us with a disturbing and engaging experience. A debut of strong maturity, which deserves to arrive in our theatres as well.