The String

A man inadvertently reveals his secret life to his mother in this gay-themed drama. Malik (Antonin Stahly-Vishwanadan) was born and raised in Tunisia; his father Abdelaziz (Lotfi Dziri) was a wealthy North African while his mother Sara (Claudia Cardinale) was a beautiful French émigré. Malik lives in Paris and has a successful career as an architect; far from home, he also feels free to live his life as an openly gay man without having to discuss it with his parents. When Abdelaziz dies unexpectedly, Malik comes home to help look after Sara, and the nightmares and anxiety attacks he thought he'd conquered after coming to Paris return with a vengeance. Malik finds solace in a dalliance with Bilal (Salim Kechiouche), a good-looking handyman doing some work at Sara's estate, but when she sees the two men in bed together, she's traumatized. While Abdelaziz was discreetly aware of his son's sexuality, Sara has never been able to accept it, and Malik must find a way to handle his responsibilities to his mother while staying true to himself and his desires. Le Fil (aka The String) was the first feature film from writer and director Mehdi Ben Attia.