Un Divan à Tunis

Review by Kirsten Mullin

The short:

Directed by Franco-Tunisian director Manele Labidi, the film is set in Tunisia and follows a young Tunisian woman, Selma, who is returning to her country to open a psychotherapy practice after years in Paris.

The long:

Un Divan à Tunis is a comedy that follows Selma, a Tunisian woman who has spent the past few years working as a psychotherapist in France. She returns to Tunisia shortly after the fall of dictator Zine El-Abadine Ben Ali, as the country is experiencing a sharp transition into democracy. Her return to Tunis is accompanied by intense reverse-culture shock, and the film follows her as she tries to re-integrate herself into her culture and navigate the Tunisian bureaucracy to open her practice. Further, her psychotherapy practice is met with suspicion, confusion, and curiosity by her friends, family, and neighbors.

To watch or not to watch:

Watch if you can understand French! There may be some jokes that go over your head if you are not familiar with Tunisian culture, but anyone who has experienced culture shock will be able to relate to the film.