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Papicha (2019)

Film
DirectorMounia Meddour
Meta takes5

Figures

Form & technique
  • The diegetic soundtrack (pop music, raï) versus the sounds of extremist threats
  • The use of diegetic pop music (e.g., "Barbie Girl")
  • The film's narrative structure
Tropes
  • Nedjma's fashion collection and the final fashion show
  • The abrupt, violent interruptions into scenes of female intimacy
  • The white haik
  • The all-female university dormitory → The Counter-Space
  • The female body, as a site for both creative expression and violent inscription
  • The film's title, "Papicha"
  • The intimate, non-sexualized depiction of female friendship and bodies in the dormitory → The Male Gaze
  • Nedjma's personal struggle to mount a fashion show amidst escalating violence → National Allegory
  • The characters' persistent pursuit of joy (dancing, singing, relationships)
  • Nedjma's fashion collection
  • The repurposed haik fabric
  • The university dormitory → The Counter-Space
  • The final, silent fashion show
  • The forced haircut of Wassila → Symbolic Annihilation
  • The slang term "Papicha" → The Performed Self

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