HIBAPRESS – A. Sayad
In her film "My Dear Little Brother," director Karima Knouni chooses to approach the world of autism through a sibling tale inspired by personal experience. The film combines human and social dimensions, raising questions related to difference, integration, and societal perception.
The film's story begins with Sarah, who is preparing to leave home to attend university. Before that, she learns that her older brother, Adam, who has autism spectrum disorder, is being admitted to a psychiatric ward. As she prepares to embark on a new phase of her life, she decides to return and bring him out, and thus begins a journey between them across the Atlas Mountains.
During this journey, Sarah finds herself facing a series of situations that make her reconsider her choices, especially as she is torn between her desire for independence and building her future, and her responsibility towards her brother and the love that binds them.
The work focuses on Sarah's relationship with Adam, whom she remembers in her heart as her "little brother" even though he is her elder. Knouni seeks to present a character with autism spectrum disorder away from simplification and stereotypes, placing the human being and their emotions at the core of the story.
The film's events are based on the director's relationship with her brother. The personal experience has been transformed into a cinematic story that also touches upon issues of disability, integration, and the right of individuals to be different and live with dignity.
The roles of the siblings are played by Nisrine Adam and Ismail El Fallahi. Knouni relied on studied improvisation to build a natural relationship between the two characters, after bringing them together with her real brother before filming to understand the emotional aspect of the story up close.
