Métèque
From the Archives
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27m
A young Moroccan woman faces deportation from the UK while coming to terms with her her sexual orientation. A richly-drawn drama, “Métèque,” directed by Lauren Blackwell, follows Samia through an emotional period of turmoil. It’s a beautifully rendered exploration of identity, displacement, and deep but fragile bonds. Samia has been interning at a bank for several months when she’s offered a full-time position. But no sooner than her boyfriend gets the news and plans a celebratory party, she finds out there’s a problem regarding her Right To Work documents, threatening not only her job but also her ability to stay in the country. She enters a tailspin trying to sort through her options (including the possibility of marrying her UK boyfriend) while reckoning with the prospect she may be forced to leave her best friend of six years, Zoe, whom she may have unresolved romantic feelings for. As the picture of their last several years fills in — lovely days in Paris included — emotion spills out in several directions, anger at a society for hypocritical bureaucracies, feeling invisible and unwanted, longing for the past, scared of the future. Filled with sensitivity and specificity, it’s a whirlwind ride that rewards viewers paying close attention with wonderfully nuanced performances and editing, and builds to an affecting final act.
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