Interview: Faouzi Bensaïdi – Déserts

The very first image we find in Déserts informs the viewer that we need directions and that its the elements that have a stronger grip on the outcome. It’s the perfect allegory for a narrative strategy that fractures conventional narrative blueprints and we could coin Moroccan filmmaker Faouzi Bensaïdi‘s latest film as a modern take on the Western, a revenge film, a buddy comedy with deadpan humor. Working with a text that jabs at capitalism and corruption, we find a subversive, jarring and refreshing text here. It’s a world of payback and pay me back for Casablanca debt collection agents Mehdi and Hamid in a vast land.

A 2023 Quinzaine des cinéastes / Directors’ Fortnight section selection, I sat down with Faouzi on the Croisette for a fest edition that was rich in offerings of national Moroccan cinema (included in almost all sections). We spoke about the choice to break away from a tradition narrative, the DNA of the characters of Mehdi and Hamid and where the filmmaker is in his filmography .