Red Path

Mghila Mountain, Tunisia, November 2015. When jihadists attack two young shepherds, 13-year-old Achraf is forced to bring a gruesome message to the villagers. Traumatized and trying not to lose his mind, Achraf needs to stand strong, confronted with the helplessness of his elders, themselves abandoned by the authorities.  

In the harsh landscape of Tunisian Mghila Mountain, a young boy’s life is forever altered by a brutal act of violence. Thirteen-year-old shepherd Achraf, who was innocently playing with his cousin Nizar in a forbidden area, is ambushed by a group of jihadists. Their play is violently shattered, and the attackers show no remorse. Achraf is sent home with a harrowing message: his cousin’s severed head in a bag.

Inspired by real events and deeply rooted in a ruthless social context, Red Path by Tunisian writer and director Lotfi Achour is a dreamlike journey into the wounded psyche of a child and his incredible ability to overcome trauma.