September 2002 Satin Rouge

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Reviewed by Wilson Morales Satin Rouge Distributor: Zeitgiest Films Director: Raja Amari Screenwriter: Raja Amari Cinematographer: Diane Baratier Cast: Hiam Abbass, Hend El Fahem, Maher Kamoun, and Monia Hichri Running Time: 91 min Language: In Tunisian with English Subtitles It’s not always easy to hide talent. Some people have dreams but can’t fulfill them, due to obligations or circumstances. Dancing has all sorts of styles, but one form has rarely been displayed on screen. Belly dancing is a style that induces sexual sensations in a person. In Raja Amari’s Satin Rouge, belly dancing is the key that unlocks the talents of a repressed widow while also releasing a sensual desire within her. It’s a film that smoothly moves from one plot to another and leaving all with a satisfying ending. While investigating a suspected liaison between her rebellious teenage daughter and a guy from “town”, young widow Lilia becomes drawn to an exotic nightclub of Rubenesque belly dancers and pleasure seekers. Curiosity has her strike a relationship with another dancer until she decides to free herself from her own repressed state and gets on the stage. Not only does she dance, but she dances with such fire that she becomes a favorite of patrons on her first night. By day, she’s too exhausted to carry out her duties as a worrisome mother. Her “awakening”peaks the interest of a cabaret musician. As she starts to open up,little does she know that her suitor has more than he bargain for? What makes “Satin Rouge” an adorable film is that Director Amari uses the belly-dancing element to explore the prevailing social values and to comment on the emotional numbness of modern life. Hiam Abbass as Lilia is a beautiful lady whose appearance and character grows as she goes out at night. The sets and the costume are well placed, and the dance scenes are a pleasure to the eye. The plot of the romance is well developed, as it takes twists and turns before it irons itself out.