Hounds

A tense, atmospheric thriller, Hounds is Moroccan director Kamal Lazraq’s impressive feature film debut set on the streets of Casablanca. It follows a hapless father-son duo who run into trouble after a kidnapping goes wrong and things go from bad to worse. 

Living precariously on the margins of society, Hassan (Abdellatif Masstouri) and his son Isaam (Ayoub Elaid) earn money as lackeys for a local crime boss, who likes to fight dogs on the side. One night, when he loses his favourite dog in a fight, he sets Hassan and Isaam the task of kidnapping his rival’s right-hand man. But things go awry from the outset, setting them on a path they must navigate with what little resources they have, forced to fly by the seat of their pants. Unfolding over one night, the film employs a dark sense of humour, imbuing its central characters a Safdie-esque quality which is cleverly used as a lens through which to view the dark underbelly of Moroccan society. 

Having received the jury prize in Un Certain Regard at Cannes last year, it’s a thrilling debut that doesn’t shy away from difficult subject matter.