Framing Freedom in Narjiss Nejjar’s The Rif Lover (2011): Female Agency Between Empowerment and Western Tropes

Abstract

This paper conducts a critical examination of the sociocultural factors that influence the experiences of Moroccan women confronting social depression. It centers on one of Morocco’s most debated films, The Rif Lover (2011), directed by Narjiss Nejjar. The film employs specific cinematic techniques, such as framing, editing, and visual symbolism, to explore interconnected themes including love, female sexuality, freedom, and notably, female empowerment. Produced during a period marked by significant events, including the Democratic Spring and King Mohammed VI's historic speech acknowledging the importance of gender equality across various domains. This era had a marked influence on Moroccan cinema and culture. During this period, Moroccan filmmakers began addressing numerous cultural taboos. By applying postcolonial-feminist theory alongside a qualitative visual thematic analysis, this article demonstrates how a female diasporic filmmaker may inadvertently reinforce Western notions of women’s liberation and desire. The film's findings are situated within the director's skillful use of cinematic techniques, rendering it a poetic text that offers female characters a space and a voice through the camera's lens. She opens a new debate on women’s freedom and religion within Moroccan society, which is both traditional and modern, and has been influenced by colonization for approximately forty years.