Red Path (2024)
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Mghila Mountain, Tunisia, November 2015. When a group of jihadists attack two young shepherds, Achraf, 13 years old, is forced to bring a gruesome message to the villagers. Traumatized and trying not to lose his mind, Achraf needs to stand strong, confronted with the helplessness of his elders, themselves abandoned by the authorities. Inspired by real events and deeply rooted in a ruthless social context, 'Red Path' is a dreamlike journey into the wounded psyche of a child and his incredible ability to overcome trauma.
- Actors:
- Eya Bouteraa, Wided Dabebi, Latifa Gafsi, Noureddine Hamami, Ali Hleli, Rayen Karoui, Mounir Khazri, Jemii Lamari, Younes Naouar, Salha Nasraoui, Yassine Samouni
- Directors:
- Lotfi Achour
- Producers:
- Anissa Daoud, Sébastien Hussenot
- Writers:
- Doria Achour, Lotfi Achour, Sylvain Cattenoy, Natacha de Pontchara
- Aka:
- Les enfants rouges
- Genres:
- Drama
More like Red Path
Found in these customers lists
Reviews (1) of Red Path
Grief in the Mountains - Red Path review by griggs
The murder and beheading of teenage shepherd Nizar is portrayed with somber restraint, steeped in the grief and numb shock of a small mountain village. “Based on a true story” appears before the first frame, yet parts of Red Path feel so outlandish you forget—until the closing credits remind you it all happened.
The strongest scenes follow the family back up the mountain to retrieve Nizar’s body, whilst his head is stored in the family fridge and reporters crowd their home, It's a quesy balance of macabre and tragic, handled with care. Less convincing are the dreamlike encounters between Achraf—the cousin who survived—and a living Nizar. Framed as catharsis, they register instead as a misjudged fantasy detour.
The film also skirts vital context: the killers' links to Tunisia's IS wing and the national shock that followed. Without that frame, the tragedy seems smaller than it was. What remains is an unsettling portrait of loss, grief, and intrusion—potent in parts, but weakened by choices that pull it away from the reality it seeks to honour.