2HORLOGES

Omar, better known as Omar the Strawberry, is an old-fashioned bandit. Forced to flee to Algeria, he makes a living out of petty crime, accompanied by his famous sidekick Roger. After decades of ruling the French criminal underworld, they must come to terms with their new life together, which until now has been one of debauchery and violence.

In the 1980s, a family of Algerian origin set off from Parisian Suburb Asnières-sur-Seine in France towards Marseille to take the ferry to Algeria. Lydia is spending her first summer without her big sister, who has just gotten married. The father promises his children that they will discover a wonderful country that he has always been homesick for. In the rickety vehicle they are travelling in, there is an atmosphere of joy and excitement, freedom and nostalgia. But the mood in the small, cramped van quickly turns negative as the father becomes more and more annoyed and patriarchal the closer they get to their destination.

A scientific expedition is set to take off in six days and Zouzou still hasn’t said anything to her family. As she waits for her visa to be approved, her mum harangs her about being single and fusses over her sister’s wedding preparations. Zouzou’s secret worries her best friend Warda, who advises her to see a hairdresser.