Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Between light and darkness stands Olfa, a Tunisian woman and the mother of four daughters. One day, her two older daughters disappear. To fill in their absence, the filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania invites professional actresses and invents a unique cinema experience that will lift the veil on Olfa and her daughters' life stories. An intimate journey of hope, rebellion, violence, transmission and sisterhood that will question the very foundations of our societies.
Four Daughters is a formally daring docudrama that blurs the line between documentary and fiction in a genuinely singular way — professional actresses play both the missing daughters and Olfa herself, creating a layered, emotionally destabilizing experience that is truly one of a kind. The plot, drawing on real events of radicalization and maternal trauma in Tunisia, is gripping and heartbreaking, structured with remarkable intelligence. The acting is exceptional across the board, particularly in the way the real Olfa and the actresses interact, challenge, and illuminate each other in scenes of raw confrontation. Novelty is extremely high — this film's formal conceit is unlike almost anything else in contemporary documentary filmmaking. Cinematography is competent and purposeful but not particularly virtuosic, serving the material without calling strong attention to itself. The ending, while emotionally resonant, is somewhat open and restrained, leaving the audience with unresolved tension that feels honest but slightly unsatisfying as a formal conclusion.