In Morocco, sex outside of marriage is considered a crime, punishable by up to a year in jail. This fact serves as the basis for Meryem Benm'Barek-Aloïsi's extraordinarily well written and acted debut feature, already a multiple award-winner on the festival circuit. Unbeknown to her and her family, 20-year-old single Sofia (marvelous newcomer Maha Alemi) is very pregnant — and her water breaks during a family dinner. Her ambitious parents immediately begin to do all they can to save face and prevent the authorities from learning the truth — including forcing Sofia to marry the baby’s lower-class father, Omar, despite their class-based misgivings and Sofia’s own reluctance. To be sure, Benm’Barek-Aloïsi uses Sofia’s hard-pressed situation to expose the intrinsic hypocrisy shoring up Morocco’s patriarchal culture. But she also gives the last word to her heroine, making this a subtle and masterfully controlled observational drama.

In competition for the New Voices New Visions Award.