Directed by Férid Boughedir the film is about Noura (Selim Boughedir) a thirteen-year-old boy who is right on the cusp of manhood: Still too young to understand the aspects of sexuality but old enough to notice the difference between men and women. What's more Noura often attends the ladies Turkish baths with his mother, where he begins to become aware of the very visible curves of the patrons. Some of the other women in the baths begin to notice Noura's wandering eye and in time he is forced to confront his desires. At the same time a young woman has been hired to help at Noura's home and she catches his eye.

Halfaouine, which is the name of the district where the film was shot, is a microcosm of a Tunisian neighborhood teeming with all variety of shops and numerous colorful people; most of whom seem to be playing themselves. The film is truly a foreign film in that it shows a side of the world we rarely see. Yet at the same time it is a universal coming-of-age story and deals with many things about growing up that are easy to grasp.

All the problems of growing up are represented in the film. Noura is also treated like a kid by everyone around him. His father hits him often [the movie has a lot of head slapping] his mother pampers him and his friends make fun of his virginity. The primary plot line is that there is to be a celebration of the circumcision of Noura's younger brother. And the occasion has created a flood of memories for Noura.

On top of this, Noura has an active imagination. He has disturbing day dreams in which all of the characters are made up of local men in the area all of whom he finds a bit intimidating. His fears grow throughout the film and some of them are well founded – especially when one of the few older friends he has in the district is harassed by the police.

Halfaouine is often a sensitive and funny film but by far the most interesting aspect of the film is that it gives a very rare look at 'Arab sensuality'. This seems unexpected when you consider that it is from a part of the world that we in the West conceive as being very religious and not much into the freedom to express sexual matters in film.

Still, the movie does deal with the inequality of women, class issues as well as the politics in the region, which are shown to deal with draconian police crackdowns. The culture is portrayed as being very masculine yet women tend to have their own separate existence, which garners respect from the men.

Video:
The DVD is presented in and aspect ratio of 1.85: 1 and looks good even though it is not particularly a crisp, clear picture. The colors are not too sharp and the image is not too vivid. But it does have an appropriate natural filmic look rather than a glossy look.

Audio:
The film is in Arabic with English subtitles and is presented in Dolby 2.0 mono. The film has many street sounds – especially birds – and it sounds fine.

Extras:
There is a very good documentary titled Camera Arabe. Directed by the same director of the feature - Férid Boughedir - in 1987, it is a good overview of Arab cinema with a focus on some of the better films from the 1950's through the 1980's. It is a welcome extra because it gives the viewer the history of a world of film that many of us in the West know nothing about.

Overall:
Halfaouine: Boy of the Terraces is a good Tunisian film that gives us a look inside a world we rarely see. It presents a fresh angle on the coming-of-age film genre and is filled with light humor and drama. The only set back is that the acting is not too great – everyone seems to be playing themselves. This gives the film a bit of authenticity, which is enough reason to recommend it. The DVD looks okay and there is a very good documentary on the history of Arab cinema.