Horses of God (spoilers)

Finally I managed to see this film, which was shown at the French Institute in London with a Q/A afterwards involving the novelist Mahi Binebine whose novel (2010: Les Etoiles de Sidi Moumen) formed the basis for the film's screenplay.

Basically it is the fictional story of how young men from the shanty town Sidi Moumen, just outside, Casablanca, were recruited to be Islamic jiahdis who then killed 33 people and injured many more in the explosions that rocked Casablanca in 2003. The film follows 4 of the men from childhood to young adults and their recruitment as 'human bombs'. In the course of telling their story we are introduced to life in the shanty town, aka slum. We witness the poverty, petty crimes and limited opportunities for the children and young people and most poignantly, which we see towards the end when the 4 men complete their training, the lack of freedom and awareness of life beyond Sidi Moumen. I was really struck by the fact that money was poured into their terrorist training that would never be made available to them for other ventures, such as travel, transport, help to obtain education and employment. Their excitement at seeing the countryside, a stream, a shepherd, was most sad as I take such things forgranted. It was a clever way to reinforce their deprivations.

Criticism of the film has been that it lacks dramatic tension since we know the conclusion as the film starts. I think there is some truth in this and at times I found myself a little impatient to some of the on screen shenanigans that felt superfluous as they would never lead to anything else because the characters involved were going to die. Binebine said that his novel is very funny. He would not have been able to write the novel without humour. He spoke affectionately of Sidi Moumen and its people, especially the children. The shenanigans serve to flavour and make distinct the stories of the 4 characters and indeed of all the characters with which we are acquainted in the film. Such tales along the way help create the authenticity of the film and this make it gritty.

The author said much in the Q/A. Two things struck me: It takes 2 years for Islamic clerics to create a 'human bomb'. The process is that insiduous. So although the Islamic radicals had been installed in Sidi Moumen for many generations their influence was not pervasive from childhood. He also said that the suicide bombers are not as responsible as we/the media make them for their acts. He spoke of how states allow shanty towns and slums to exist and that in the Arab world, states have persecuted the very people who might have offered other ways of life to such deprived young men, e.g. the artists, scholars and other political groups. By imprisoning, killing and silencing such groups of people a vacuum is created in society that enables the radical Islamists to intervene and to do so in a way that appears to offer something to the society as well as the individuals recruited for such atrocities. Binebine made it clear that he could not and would not justify terrorism and his criticisms of the Arab countries and states was not intended to explain terrorism.

Binebine had been at a talk in Oxford the previous evening and told that some of the audience were comprised of family members of those killed in the Casablanca bombings. He was fearful of their response to his comments but said that one women, the sister of a man killed, donated all his clothing to the brother of one of the Casablanca jihadis.

I rate the film 8.5/10 with a recommendation to see it if you can.

Never test the depth of the water with both feet