One Evening In July - Synopsis
Tunis in summer. Saida is a woman of about sixty. This evening, like every summer evening during the wedding season, she leaves for work, to offer her know-how to families who request her help. This is because Saida is one of those women in Tunisia, like elsewhere, who do the make-up, hair and dress young brides and make them a queen for one night.
Miriam is a young girl of 22 with pale skin and an unsociable air, the daughter of the family where Saida goes to this one evening. Miriam has decided to be hostile. She has not chosen her husband; she does not want to be touched, and cannot stand him ... Her rejection takes other forms than the frank hostility towards Saida, who has a lot of experience and has learnt how to handle the sensitivity of young people.
The remonstrance of Miriam's mother who regularly appears to make sure that everything is running smoothly, the gentleness and firmness of Saida and the time that passes puts the young girl into a good mood or more precisely, she is able to redirect her dejection. Gradually, Miriam is able to confide her helplessness to Saida who listens to her while working on the wedding preparations. Miriam does not know what to do - she's thinking of running away, Saida in an even tone discourages her. She was once in a similar situation. She even wished her husband dead. He was an old man who died some time after the wedding. By carrying out her wish, God made her a widow at 16 and she has lived alone ever since.
But Miriam is lucky as the man she is about to marry is a good catch, he will buy her anything she wants. Unwittingly she puts criminal thoughts into the young girl's mind, of how to get rid of this man, and how to free herself from the yoke that awaits her.
Insensibly the schemes grow. Still naïve, Saida participates in the game, both because she does not want to contradict the girl and wants to soften her and do her job properly. Perhaps Saida is also working through past and present resentment. Saida can still push a young girl who is convinced that she would be unable to carry out the act. For the time being, Saida has done her job. Miriam abandons herself entirely to her criminal frenzy and responds to each of her questions with precision, with serious gestures.
It is Saida's perfect work which makes Miriam grab for her scissors, hiding them in the folds of her magnificent dress. Saida then realizes the potential gravity of the situation and returns home. She changes into her old wedding dress, to return to her old and dark memories. She remains on the edge of her bed, head lowered, hands crossed on her lap and waits.
