Portal:African cinema/Selected film/15

As I Open My Eyes (French: À peine j'ouvre les yeux) is a 2015 French-Tunisian drama film directed by Leyla Bouzid. The story revolves around Farah (Baya Medhaffer), a rebellious teenager who defies her mother's (Ghalia Benali) concerns by sneaking out to sing with an underground band. Set in the lead-up to Tunisia's Jasmine Revolution in the summer of 2010, the film captures Farah's as well as the country’s struggle for independence and self-expression.

The film won multiple awards including at the Venice International Film Festival and was selected as the Tunisian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards. The film received positive reviews upon its release. It holds a 100% fresh ratings from Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.5 average rating. Variety called it an "impressive debut" and Medhaffer's acting "a stand-out lead performance". A critic for Indiewire gave the film a score of A− and called it "the Best Fictional Film Yet About the Arab Spring."