The Damned Don't Cry (2022)

Among many stories told from an outcast's perspective, this masterpiece stands out in its transparency when portraying the surreal nature of reality in a very realistic story world. All events take hold in Morocco, but the issues and themes are universal. Fyzal Boulifa and the crew did an excellent job fleshing out this story and bringing it to life through all the cinematic tools at their disposal. The use of lighting, color, framing, movement, sound design, set design, staging, blocking, and everything else is remarkably well-done. Fyzal Boulifa has also brought out stellar performances from two non-professional actors yet again. This thrilling story is fueled by the passionate and almost co-dependent relationship between the two protagonists.:

Fatima-Zahra

Fatima-Zahra is a proud, whimsical, opportunistic, fragmented, delusional contradiction between modern and conservative. Spontaneous and cautious, she has been through a lot but still puts herself through more. She is always seeking adoration and consolation while compensating for the lack of it by living with a facade of fortitude. Fatima-Zahra is the quintessential modern (Arab) woman who enjoys the finer things in life with hard-won liberty. She is also a traditional woman who turns to superstition, faith, and submission when her bravado and wit bump into a ceiling. Despite her strength and charms, she's also a simple woman who is emotionally unstable, vulnerable, and sometimes gullible. Her paradoxical identity is what makes her the universal woman who once had aspirations but caved into societal pressures and a series of misfortunes. She seeks what we all seek, deep down - reciprocated love, affection, security, and stability.

Saleem

Saleem is a visible product of his environment, molded by his ever-present mother and long-absent father who struggles with precarious manhood in his late teens. Volatile, fragile, and rash, he is a sailboat without a rudder; a misguided and troubled teen in a constant reactive state. Saleem is a decent boy at heart who means no harm. He just makes desperate decisions when burdened by testing circumstances. Saleem is highly susceptible to disastrous outbursts of rage. Everyone around him suffers from that because he has little self-control. He faces the consequences of such behavior while hurting his mother in the process.

The story starts with a glimpse of what an average morning looks like for the mother-son duo. There's constant banter and bickering, along with the issues they live with, such as the absence of Saleem's father. It's just another morning. Only this time, the mother is getting ready for a job interview which seems to be a promising prospect for both. Fatima-Zahra dresses up wearing her finest jewelry and heads out to meet someone she knew from before. The tables turn when the man takes her somewhere shady and steals her valuables. She is left with nothing to show for her "job interview" but an empty purse and a bruised eye. There isn't much the police could do with only the suspect's first name. She lies to Selim about what happened and convinces him they must leave town. This moment is the first sight of the volatile bond between Fatima-Zahra & Saleem tested by difficult circumstances.

They head to Fatima-Zahra's childhood town to stay with her parents for a while. They both struggle to fit in the slow-paced rural life and stick out like sore thumbs, unmistakable outsiders, as the family prepares for an upcoming wedding. Fatima-Zahra is an unofficial outcast who is okay with not fitting in. During their stay, Saleem's world is shaken when he hears that his mom conceived him from a man who raped her and lied to him about his father all his life. He leaves the village, and she follows him with the rest of their possessions. She then finds him and sits with him trying to explain herself as they hear the last call for a bus to Tangier. Saleem boards it, and Fatima-Zahra follows suit, unable to get a word out of him.

The bus driver, Moustapha, takes note of the situation and gives Fatima-Zahra his contact in case she needs a place to stay. Saleem breaks her phone once he finds out in another immature outburst. They're forced to rent a small room, and he tells her he will look for a job while she stays put.

Saleem waits by a roadside and asks Abou, a young, better-off hotshot he can relate to and look up to, for a job. Abou agrees and takes him to a renovation work site. Saleem has his first interaction with Sébastien after exchanging some words in French. Abou observes this and confronts him about it. Saleem shows his ambition and tells him he wants to be his right-hand man. Abou sees his hunger and lures him into an opportunity that would change everything.

Fatima-Zahra, meanwhile, sneaks out of the house and even stops by a monastery. She then continues to look around for opportunities to exploit in the city. Saleem receives instructions for his first job as Abou's right-hand man. Abou guides him into an apartment unit and then leads him to a lot of money in a nightstand drawer. When Saleem asks what's going on, Abou tells him Sébastien will be there shortly and that the money is his if he does what "the foreigner" wants. Sébastien walks in and starts making sexual advances at Saleem, catching him completely off-guard. Saleem is torn between his morals and the prospect of earning a lot of quick money & earning Abou's trust. In a flash, he gives in and seals the deal but walks away with only confusion and awkward tension to back up his massive earning. Sébastien calls him again to discuss what had happened - Saleem accepts. They clarify things, and there's a new job offer on the table that Saleem takes. The trap is set.

Fatima-Zahra took on work at a textile sweatshop while Saleem secured his spot at Sébastien's hotel. Fatima-Zahra runs into Moustapha and reconnects with him, and the fire between them ignites. Moustapha plans on taking Fatima-Zahra as his second wife with his first wife's blessing. Saleem is dealing with persistent tension and ambiguity between himself and his boss. They are both derailed by short-term comforts away from a sustainable future. The mother and son drift apart due to seductive false hopes.

When informed about his mother's union, Saleem doesn't respond well. He feels shut out and retaliates by sabotaging the arrangement that would distance him from his mother. She has no idea what happened but must now let go of her dreams of being in a legitimate, stable marriage with an affectionate man. Moustapha is respectful but stern. He walks away and doesn't look back. His departure is a devastating blow to Fatima-Zahra, and she would never be the same again. Saleem robs Sébastien's hotel and leaves without a trace. He tries to console his mother, who knows nothing about his doings. Fatima-Zahra decides to cut her hair, but Saleem can't stand the madness and leaves yet again. Left alone, Fatima-Zahra takes to the street and offers to sell all her belongings at a stall.

Saleem reaches out to Abou and asks for another chance at a job. Abou agrees and sends him to the same apartment where he had his first sexual encounter with Sébastien. He's ambushed in the hallway and sent straight to jail without a hearing. Fatima-Zahra turns to religion and finally finds the inner peace she has sought for so long. Her evolution is made obvious when she visits Saleem in prison, and he puts a wall in between. She has completely transformed herself while he is arguably worse off and still stuck in his old ways.

Fatima-Zahra awaits Saleem on his release date, but he avoids her and goes his way. She is left with nothing but her new-found relationship with God, while Saleem has to fend for himself. He was everything she really had but may never see him again. The damned don't cry; they smile at bleak situations and carry on undefeated. You don't have much to lose when you don't have much.