Casanegra

Nour-Eddine Lakhmari's 2008 Moroccan film follows two young friends scraping by in Casablanca. Karim and Adil do not work so much as hustle; the city's nightlife, their debts and steadily growing criminal errands push them the same way. The title is the city's name gone dark. Lakhmari shows Casablanca from no touristic angle; domestic violence, alcohol, drugs and unemployment sit at the centre. The dialogue was written in Moroccan Darija and left unsanitised, and that is the basis of the film's claim to realism. Being made in that register made it contentious, and it was refused entry to the Marrakech Film Festival in 2008. It nonetheless stayed at the top of the Moroccan box office for months and was selected to represent the country at the Academy Awards. Who it's for: those who like contemporary Moroccan cinema and city-centred social realism. Who it's not for: viewers uncomfortable with harsh language and a hopeless tone; the film never softens.