Gabbla

Living almost as a recluse, the topographer Malek accepts a job in a region of western Algeria at the insistence of his friend Lakhdar. Malek arrives at the base camp previously used by a team, but decimated by fundamentalists. A young shepherd observes him from afar; several men, some armed, approach and question his being there. Having previously run from Islamist terrorism, these farmers decided to return to their village. At dusk, the local police arrive for a routine visit. After the police have left, Malek is invited by the villagers to a makeshift party. During the night a series of explosions are heard. At dawn, Malek begins the first topographical readings, surveys the area surrounding the base camp and measures distances. During the night, again his sleep is disturbed by powerful explosions. The next morning, Malek sees a crowd along the edges of the mined field. On his return to the base camp, he discovers a young woman hiding in a corner of the Saharan hut. She’s an African woman and won’t give her name. Lakhdar arrives at the site, to find that both she and Malek have disappeared. At first, the two runaways head north, towards the Moroccan frontier which is the route to reach the Spanish enclave of Mellila. But the young woman doesn’t want to flee to Europe; she’s exhausted and wants to return home. With her finger, she traces the itinerary on Malek’s maps, an interminable diagonal towards the southeast, the route to Tchad – towards the desert, towards a point of mutual disappearance.