Review by FilmCriticLalitRao

Fatma is a Tunisian film directed by Khaled Ghorbal who is a veteran cinema artist from theater background.This can somewhat explain the theatrical elements present in the film.Khaled Gorbal's film is a story of a study being conducted to read the minds of upper middle class Tunisian people.They are important for the film as it shows them in positive light in order to elicit responses from viewers.We see them don various roles such as students,doctor,teachers and executives. The socio-political aspects of this film are a result of Tunisian society's efforts to read its strengths and weaknesses.Fatma is a brave tale of an intrepid Tunisian girl named Fatma who does not desire to remain a coward person due to the fact that she has been violated.Ghorbal has added some melodramatic elements too but they do not obstruct this film's narrative structure which remains more or less consistent.The question of virginity in context of Arab and African societies has also been firmly dealt with.This is surely one of this film's strong point.Fatma won accolades at various film festivals including best director prize for Khaled Ghorbal at 2002 International Film Festival of Kerala (Thiruvanathapuram,India)