Watch The Silences of Palace

The Silences of Palace is a Tunisian movie released in 1994. Directed by Moufida Tlatli, a renowned Tunisian filmmaker and former Minister of Culture, the movie explores the issues of gender, class, and power in a postcolonial context. It was the first Tunisian movie to be submitted for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

The story is set in Tunisia during the French protectorate, in the 1950s, and tells the story of Alia (played by Hind Sabri as a young woman and by Amel Hedhili as an adult), a young singer who is brought to the palace of the bey (the ruler of Tunisia under colonial rule) to perform for him and his guests. Alia was born in the palace, where her mother, a servant, was raped by the bey. She grows up in the palace, where she witnesses the daily lives of the wives and concubines of the bey, the eunuchs and servants, and the political intrigues that surround them.

The movie unfolds in a non-linear narrative, through flashbacks and dreams, as Alia recalls her childhood memories and her relationship with her mother, who was forced to give her up to be raised by her grandmother. Alia's grandmother, a former concubine of the bey, teaches her the art of singing and embroidery, and tells her the stories of the women who lived in the palace before them. Through these stories, Alia discovers the hidden voices and silences of the women who are trapped in the palace, and who can only express themselves through the songs they sing and the embroidery they create.

As Alia grows up, she becomes aware of her own position as a woman who is both desired and exploited by the men in the palace. She falls in love with a young cook, who is also a member of the underground resistance movement against the French occupation. Their love affair is portrayed as a subversive act of resistance, as they challenge the boundaries of class and ethnicity that divide them, and as they seek to break free from the patriarchal structures of the palace.

However, Alia's dreams are shattered when she discovers that her mother was also a victim of the bey's sexual abuse, and that she was sold to a brothel when she tried to escape from the palace. Alia's quest for the truth about her mother's fate becomes a metaphor for the larger political struggle for independence and freedom, as she realizes that the silences of the palace are a reflection of the silences of the nation.

The Silences of Palace is a visually stunning movie, with elaborate costume and set designs that recreate the opulence and decadence of the palace. The music, composed by Anouar Brahem, combines traditional Tunisian instruments with contemporary sounds, and adds an emotional resonance to the story. The performances of the cast, especially Hind Sabri as the young Alia, are poignant and haunting, conveying the complexity of the characters and the themes.

The movie was widely acclaimed and received several awards, including the Golden Tanit at the Carthage Film Festival and the Best First Feature Prize at the Venice Film Festival. It was also controversial, as it challenged the dominant narratives of Tunisian history and identity, and as it depicted the bey as a ruthless and rapacious ruler. Nevertheless, it became a landmark of Tunisian cinema and a source of inspiration for generations of filmmakers and activists who sought to explore the issues of gender, class, and power in the Arab world.

In conclusion, The Silences of Palace is a powerful and poetic movie that transcends the boundaries of time and space, and that speaks to universal issues of human dignity and freedom. It is a masterpiece of cinema that deserves to be watched and celebrated.