A beautiful and simple lyricism revisits the sequences and cameos during the Islamic festival of Eid, among the alleys and nooks and crannies that lead to and from, but also surround, the Medina of Casablanca, Morocco. Dalila Ennadre, the director, was born in the neighbourhood and, embodying the Medina itself, or personifying it with a voice-over, this is her autobiographical exploration of the unique local characters, in a light-hearted and even affectionate tone, especially when she focuses her gaze on Saadia, Adil or Zohra, mothers who speak to the camera as they prepare in the old heart of Casablanca for Eid al-Adha.

There is no shortage of emotion, with children running after those chasing the goat or ram to sacrifice it in emulation of Ibrahim, or Abraham, as an act of loyalty to Allah, and greeting each other with Eid Mubarak (Happy Holiday). But it is not all joy. What the children do not see, say the mothers, is the cost of the sweets and the ram or animal itself, which in this work we see ranges from 3,700 Dh.

The narrow streets are the body of the Medina, which pays careful attention to relatively marginal characters of the place. ‘Boujemaa, long live the one who lights up my alley.’ ‘Saadia, what would the alley be without her, who was born within my walls?’ Inside the Medina is their world, the Senegalese alley, the Italian alley, the Spanish alley. In the end, they did not hesitate to offer their own criticism: ’Our country is beautiful, but those who run it have become rich and our children and the poor are dying.

The cinematography is delicate, and the portrayal of the Medina does not shy away from current inequalities or the cultural offerings available to young people and teenagers who listen to Western music and dream of opportunities, even if this also brings them sadness for their mothers. The contrast between the tourist’s imagination of the Medina and the harsh reality of its inhabitants is thus revealed.