La Saison des Hommes

Following her acclaimed directorial début THE SILENCES OF THE PALACE, Tlati returns with another portrait of Arabic women’s lives. Where that film deals with her mother’s time (the 50s), LA SAISON explores the experiences of women of her daughter’s generation. On the island of Djerba, women wait 11 months for their trader husbands to return from the mainland for a “season” with their wives. But the absence of men does not alleviate oppression. Mothers-in-law rule households and daughters-in-law, and a strict hierarchy based upon fertility and male children applies. Within this culture acts of independence can cost dearly, and loneliness, frustration, and desperation abound. As in SILENCES, the pace is measured, the cinematography stunning, capturing the natural beauty of the island and the rhythms of women’s lives.