The Little Sister

Seventeen-year-old Fatima (played by Nadia Melliti, who won an award for this role) is the youngest of three daughters in a French-Algerian family living in the Paris suburbs. She is a good student, an avid athlete, and has loving parents. On the surface, then, her life seems idyllic.

Her reality, however, is a constant balancing act between loyalty to her loving but rather conservative family, her Muslim faith, and the attraction she is beginning to feel toward women.

 

Fatima fears that the latter would be unacceptable to her loved ones. By signing up for a dating site, the protagonist begins to explore her sexuality, discover her own needs, and reflect on her identity – especially when she enters into a relationship with the nurse Ji-Na (Ji-min Park). The relationship brings Fatima both joy and pain, allowing her to better understand herself.

Directed by the popular French actress Hafsia Herzi, the film is a subtle yet moving portrait of a young woman entering adulthood and shaping her identity.

For her outstanding performance as the lead character, first-time actress Nadia Melliti received the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as a César and a Lumière Award for Most Promising Actress.