Raja is a nineteen-year-old orphan, scarred by life. Fred is an emotionally bankrupt Frenchman living amid his plush gardens and palm trees. Fred’s attempts to seduce Raja, and their mutual attempts at manipulation are fractured by their gross disparity of income, age and cultural sophistication.

Candidly entering dangerous emotional ground, Jacques Doillon’s cross-cultural story of seduction and manipulation smartly explores the barriers of gender, class, race, and age. Najat Benssallem shines through as the young local girl at the heart of Doillon’s scintillating, Marrakesh-set drama.