Inspired by a case in which a young woman in September 2012 was raped by policemen and fought through the justice system to press charges against them, Kaouther Ben Hania, who wrote and directed Beauty and the Dogs (Aala Kaf Ifrit), tells a similar story from the perspective of Mariam, a 21-year-old university student. At a student party, she meets Youssef. They go for a walk on the beach and are confronted by two policemen who rape Mariam. Although she is no activist, she wants justice, and Youssef does everything he can to support her. However, as Mariam soon learns, Youssef is a political activist and is known to the corrupt police, who eventually wretch him away from Mariam.
Mariam does not have ID because she lost her purse during the attack. And she is wearing a dress with cleavage. The police tell her she needs to be examined by a doctor. She goes to a hospital, where she is told she needs to see not just any old doctor, but a forensic doctor. When she finally gets an examination, they keep her underwear. When she tries to retreat to her dormitory, she sees that her father is looking for her, so she has to hide from him as well.
Mariam does find her purse—in a police car. Now the police who raped her become worried. Despite the victim blaming, the corrupt police, the indifference of women at the police station and the hospital, not to mention her own self-doubts, Mariam persists.
The entire action takes place in one night. The film is presented in nine single-shot sequences. For those who understand French, here is an interview with the woman whose experience inspired Beauty and the Dogs: France24.
