Divines, a French thriller movie written and directed by Houda Benyamina, captures the harsh realities faced by poor minorities. Dounia and Maimouna, the main protagonists who are born and raised in a shantytown, which is definitive of poverty, must do all they can to survive. Their families do not offer the support that they require to become successful since they, too, are victims of social and economic equalities that define nations with poor minorities. Dounia's mother is an alcoholic and a prostitute, which means that Dounia has few viable options to advance her life. Despite these unfortunate outcomes, these two girls are keen on surviving, but they end up being held back by deep-rooted cultural and gender stereotypes. Sadly, the two can only turn to shoplift and drug peddling, practices that are associated with poor minorities. Schooling, which would have helped these girls to have a brighter future, is oppressive as it views the minorities as restricted to some careers such as receptionists. An analysis of Divines establishes that it is reflective of the past and present political, historical, social, and artistic aspects of French society.
Synopsis
Divines revolve around the lives of two black teenage girls Dounia and Maimouna, who live on the outskirts of Paris. Dounia and Maimouna are great friends considering that they face similar challenges, and friendship is a way to cope and deal with their harsh realities. These two girls represent the minority groups in France who seem to have been forgotten and left to fend for them. The two girls shoplift in supermarkets and later sell the stolen goods to their unsuspecting schoolmates so that they could survive. At times, the girls siphon fuel from vehicles, as they cannot trust their poor parents and relatives to manage their needs.
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The school, which is supposed to be the place of refuge for the embattled minorities, became a place of negative socialization, especially for Dounia. The teacher tells the girls, “Keep your head down, behave, and work hard, and maybe, just maybe, you’ll one day be lucky enough to secure a poorly paid admin job” (Benyamina, 2016). This statement is indicative of the fact that the school, too, does not guarantee Dounia the opportunity she needs or deserves. Dounia’s teacher insists that Dounia ought to train as a receptionist, and her teacher forces her to do humiliating role-plays on job-interviews. At this point, Dounia, who is rebellious and haughty, walks out of class for good, hoping to find better ways of improving her life outcomes.
Dounia and Maimouna meet Rebecca, a drug peddler who recruits and enlists their help as errand girls. The girls work hard at their chores, and soon enough, they rise through the ranks to become drug dealers. Their new jobs get them into trouble with the police, their parents, and Rebecca as they are yet to master how to survive in a harsh world with twists and turns. In the end, the tussle between Rebecca and the two friends leads to the death of Maimouna in a fire explosion marking a disastrous end for the duo.
Depiction of France’s Historical Aspects in Divines
Divines capture France's historical aspect that revolves around minorities, women, and members of the Islamic community. The movie revolves around two women who must survive in a nation whose history does not promote the rights of minority groups more so blacks and Muslims. Benyamina focuses on the daily struggles of the marginalized communities in France, which is an outcome of discriminative historical injustices. Montague (2017) establishes that the "welfare state as an engine of assimilation, defined a differential and racialized status for blacks during the process of crucial institution building" (p.1). The welfare state managed to produce belief systems and social patterns that are based on social inequality that continues to plague the nation. Dounia and Maimouna are victims of these historical policies that helped to propagate racial inequality that limits the minorities from accomplishing anything meaningful. Their only option is to engage in criminal activities and lack educational advancement, which again is reflective of cultural stereotyping that the minorities as criminals who belong in prison.
Divines seem like an attempt to break away from historical barriers that confine films to certain genres, audiences, and cast. Before the Second World War, the film industry was a reserve of the older actors and directors, but this has changed. Palmer (2011) establishes that the modern French film industry produces films "according to innovative formulae, connected to the past yet versatile, adapting to the changing appetites of the twenty-first century" (p. 2). What this means is that while French cinema is about upholding the country's history, it must adapt to dynamic industry needs. Divines envisage the need for younger actors, writers, and directors, considering that Dounia and Maimouna are teenage actors, while Benyamina, the director, is about 35 years.
The director is considerably young when compared to seasoned movie directors in France and all over the world. Forbes and Harris (2012) assert that "young people began to claim the cinema as their own, forcefully rejecting the cinema de papa' as aesthetically outmoded and socially irrelevant" (p.330). The proposition is indicative of a historical aspect that Divines has tried to do away with by creating themes that resonate with the young people. The movie marks another historical shift in that first-time movie directors such as Benyanima would be eligible for various prestigious movie awards. In this case, Divines won the Camera d'Or award in 2016. French movies are a departure from the past as they are now enjoying a global audience considering that they incorporate subtitles in English and other target audience languages. Divines has brought a revolution in this aspect as it is a departure from the characteristic and popular French romance movies to depict the struggles of minority races and religions in France.
Depiction of France’s Social Transformation in Divines
Divines point to various aspects of social transformation, most notably gender, religion, and racial integration. The movie points to a society that helps to propagate or is blind to the social issues that have continued to affect its minority groups. The movie depicts a reversal of gender roles with women taking up more responsibilities and making crucial decisions. The movie focuses on the lives of teenage girls, Maimouna and Dounia, Rebecca, Dounia's mother, and Maimouna's parents. Benyamina purposively gives female actors prominent roles, most of which seem to be traditional male roles with Rebecca being the hardcore gangster and drug peddler, a characteristic of males. Dounia and Maimouna, too live a dangerous life on the streets where they shoplift, siphon fuels and deal drugs roles that the society view as more masculine as opposed to feminine. Corbin (2019) establishes that many movie enthusiasts and critics alike wait with bated breath to establish how female directors address various issues in movies.
Divines point to the fact that women are in a position to handle their challenges and stand above their male counterparts. Rebecca has hired Samir as her driver and even goes ahead to spank her boyfriend despite restrictive social and cultural underpinnings. This scene is indicative of the fact that female directors can alter cultures so that they allow for more equality and opportunities for women. Benyamina was keen on dismantling the tenets of the French patriarchal society by allowing women to have more control when it comes to their sexual desires. Of importance is the insistence on the capacity of women to be leaders instead of following the paths that the males in the society chart for them.
Divines outline crucial social aspects that have defined French culture for a long time and which must be done away with to promote equality. Benyamina portrays women as strong-willed and courageous going by the scene where Dounia helps Djigui when he is about to fall from a ceiling by pulling a scared Djigui. Traditionally the French society has portrayed men as strong, courageous, and confident but the movie reverses the role by presenting men as weak. In as much as Maimouna's father is an Imam meaning that he has a position of power he is unable to provide for her daughter or save her from trouble. In the same breath, Rebecca enlists the services of Dounia and Maimouna in her drug business while she could have used Samir instead. Reda, despite being a big-league criminal is weak and frail in that he spends his fortune on women to satisfy his sexual desires. Rebecca claims that “Men don't think with this, but with this!” which indicates that their sexual desires cloud their judgment. Dounia uses this weakness to seduce Reda, which is indicative of the fact that French women understand their strength and are not about to encourage male domination.
Wilson (2005) captures this aspect by claiming that cinema by women aims at opening up “representations of intimacy, of the family, of interpersonal relations.” (p.219). The proposition is indicative of a new awareness that women could be stronger by rebelling against some traditional stereotypes. Dounia leads by example by walking out of a class that seems to limit women to few gendered career opportunities while she believes that she can be better. Dounia’s philosophy is “My hands are made for gold because I’m the queen of the world!” (Benyamina, 2016) . This philosophy is indicative of modern women who are ready to surpass the social ceiling created by a society that rides on gendered and negative stereotypes. Dounia represents the enlightened movement of women in France, who demand equal economic opportunities.
Divines movie presents the French society as that which is tolerant of diverse religions. Maimouna’s family is Muslim and throughout the movie, Maimouna’s father is portrayed as a devout Muslim; he spends most of his time in the mosque, and on some occasions, he is seen lecturing Dounia about her continued absence from the mosque. He reminds her about the time she used to love the religion and pleads with her to change her ways and embrace religion. The movie does not anticipate for religious intolerance despite Muslims being a minority religion in France. Despite Rebecca, Maimouna, and Dounia having different religious affiliations, they work together to ensure that they are economically empowered.
Economic interests, as opposed to their religious beliefs and practices, bind the French society together. Djigui falls in love with Dounia, without factoring in the fact that they could be professing different religious faiths since love is ineffable. In such a case, it is evident that France has slowly accepted religious diversity has been predominantly Christian, something that points to religious diversity. Ezra (2018) establishes that France is reworking its socialization and social structures to allow for freedom of worship. The fact that Divines features Muslims is reason enough to establish that France is ready to embrace equality for a seamless society. The same can be said about the need to embrace racially diverse populations and promote harmony and peace. Rebecca and Maimouna are black, while Dounia and most of the other actors belong to other races. Despite the differences in skin color, Dounia and Maimouna are not only good friends but also close confidants. This kind of closeness indicates that friendship knows no bounds and that one’s race should not be used as a basis for discrimination. Rebecca holds so much authority as a gang leader in as much as she is a black woman. While black people have been the object of discrimination, the movie depicts them positively, thus encouraging the French to integrate with people from all racial backgrounds, especially because most of them share a common social status (Ezra, 2018). If France is to achieve economic emancipation, it must demonstrate a unity of purpose by paving the way for genuine relationships with all French nationals.
Depiction of France’s Artistic Transformation in Divines
The French movie industry, just like other nations, must embrace dynamic aspects that continue to guide the industry. Recently the French movie industry has adopted pragmatism, which is a shift from the structured order of the past movies (O’Shaughnessy, 2008). Divines begin with sequence shots, which are captured using a phone, something that creates an element of surprise because it is unexpected for movies to have scenes that look a bit ‘disorganized’ or unconventional. The second scene that depicts Dounia and Maimouna fantasizing about getting reach, and are driving a Ferrari is indicative of an artistic transformation is that. Dounia and Maimouna’s childlike fantasies are captured through camera tricks so that they appear to be moving, while they are not. Reader (2003) establishes that the French artistic transformation points towards an era where people will be exposed to pleasant surprises; movies will not just embrace perfectionism and conventionalism but will be about the director’s idea. In this case, the artistic is free to explore new genres and storytelling techniques, which points to artists’ autonomy.
Conclusion
Divines is representative of social, historical and artistic transformations that have defined France in the past as well as those that are characteristic of modern France. The movie is indicative of a shift from traditional social and artistic aspects by giving young actors and directors as well as women a leeway to showcase their talent. Benyamina, the movie’s director, purposively chose young women of color and drawn from Islam to portray the innate power that is in women. Maimouna, Dounia, and Rebecca establish that it is possible to move past negative racial and gender stereotypes that have dominated the French society. These women defy backward traditions that limit the opportunities given to the minorities by demonstrating that they are equal to the individuals in mainstream society. The choice of such formidable characters is a reason enough to believe that if women are given a role in French cinema, they can reshape society. Divines is an outcome of pragmatic thought that allows for new and exciting ideas that are reflective of a changing and dynamic society.
References
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