Férid Boughedir’s compelling 1990 debut is a luminous and  humorous coming-of-age narrative, partly autobiographical, set in the titular suburb of Tunis, the director’s neighbourhood. The film follows Noura, a twelve-year-old boy, as he stands in the ambiguous space between childhood innocence and burgeoning manhood.Noura’s world is beautifully partitioned into three distinct yet interwoven spaces. He enjoys the boundless affection and protection of the women in his family, which grants him continuous access to their private world, most notably the women’s bathhouse. This unique position, however, turns precarious when he’s pressured by older boys to use his access for their voyeuristic interests, causing his gaze to change from innocent to that of a spectator. When Noura is abruptly expelled from the women’s domain, he loses his safe maternal cocoon and is prematurely thrust into the difficult realities of his father’s world. Forced to confront the social and political rigidities of this new world, he finds an unconventional mentor in Salih, the liberal shoemaker and poet, who models a different kind of Tunisian masculinity. Noura’s determination to define his own manhood leads him to seek out experiences, which eventually culminates in a discreet, yet significant, passage into adulthood. Halfaouine is celebrated for its stunningly rebellious portrait of the era’s sexual mores and remains one of the most-seen Tunisian films of all time. It won the coveted Tanit d’Or at the Journées Cinématographique de Carthage, among many other prestigious international awards.Raman Chawla