Rock the Casbah

Rock the Casbah starts out like a comedy. Sofia (Morjana Alaoui) returns home to Morocco for the funeral of her father, a wealthy but controlling entrepreneur who, despite dying, appears as a ghost commenting on the proceedings for much of the film. Sofia left claustrophobic Morocco years ago to be an actress in America where her only roles have been as terrorists and generic villains much to her family's shame.

Her sisters are wealthy and judgmental, but they have their own problems and are married to men they don't love but who their father approved of. Furthering the tension in this family reunion is the fact that Sofia was close to her eldest sister who died years ago and who's death she blames on her father.

There is lots of fun cultural and family commentary but when the secrets are revealed they are actually quite dark and disturbing and the last minute shift in tone is so abrupt it's quite jarring in context with the rest of the film.

The actors are great and Laïla Marrakchi has a keen eye for the lifestyle of the rich in Morocco but ultimately the film doesn't make a great impression.