Bastardo

Larger-than-life characters populate director Nejib Belkadhi’s spellbinding combination of film noir and magic realism, which follows a downtrodden orphan — now grown but still saddled with a cruel nickname — who has a reversal of fortune and takes on the thugs who control his ghetto.

Directed by Néjib Belkadhi, Bastardo leans on a strong ensemble — Ahmed Abdelmonaâm Chouayet, Lobna Noomene, Taoufik El Bahri — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 2013.