Loin

Loin is a 2001 French-Spanish drama film directed by André Téchiné, starring Stephane Rideau, Lubna Azabal and Mohamed Hamaidi. The film, set in Tangier in a three-day period, tells the story of three young friends making critical decisions about their uncertain future. Plot For the past few years, Serge, a young French man, has been working as a long-distance truck driver, employed by a company that ships goods from Morocco to Europe. His job gives him plenty of time for reflection and boredom. In Algeciras, ready to make his next trip to Africa, Serge succumbs to the criminal subculture, dangerously agreeing to smuggle hashish from Morocco to Europe by hiding the illegal drugs in his truck. This time, the Moroccan stopover between transports of cargoes will last three days. In Tangier, while he waits for his truck to be loaded and pass customs, Serge is reunited with his friend Saïd. Saïd, a young Moroccan whose only possession is his bicycle, desperately seeks to escape his restrictive background and avidly longs for the possibility and intrigue of life beyond Africa, but he has attempted his illegal immigration many times before with dire consequences. Serge, who is eager to see his on and off girlfriend Sara, Saïd’s friend and employer, strikes a deal with Saïd. If Saïd can convince Sarah to see him again, Serge promises to smuggle Saïd to Europe. Saïd takes Serge to see his and Sara’s friends: Jack, a gay American émigré living happily in Morocco, and François, a young film director preparing a documentary on illegal immigration. François and Serge went to the same school eight years ago. Saïd entices Sara to go out that night in order to prepare and encounter Serge. When she first sees Serge again she runs away, but ultimately she yields and they get back together. Sara, a beautiful, independent young Jewish woman mourning her recently dead mother, operates a small hotel where Saïd works. She is in a dilemma of her own. Her successful brother, a Canadian émigré, wants her to leave Morocco and join him in Montreal. She agonizes over the decision, unsure about emigrating. Serge's return and their complicated relationship only make it harder to make a decision. Emily, Sara’s sister-in-law, a writer who recently has lost a son, arrives to help her close the hotel and resettle in Canada. The closing of the hotel leaves Saïd without a job and intensifies his need to try and get to Europe.