Mariam, a young Tunisian student with a bright future ahead of her, meets tall, dark and handsome Youssef at a college party. But Mariam’s night takes a terrible turn when she’s assaulted by a group of men—all members of the local police force—and her flirtation with Youssef becomes instead a desperate search for help and justice as they face the seemingly impossible task of reporting the assault to a bureaucracy that refuses to listen.

Inspired by a true story and based on Meriem Ben Mohamed’s 2013 book Coupable d’avoir été violée (translates as guilty of having been raped), director Kaouther Ben Hania’s second feature handles a delicate and topical subject with a balance of restraint and urgency and shines a light on the bureaucratic negligence rampant in many parts of the world. Fluidly shot in long takes and led by a powerful performance by newcomer Mariam Al Ferjani, Beauty and the Dogs is not to be to missed.