Growing Up

Growing Up - image by Noody's World

From my country's coming of age series comes Growing Up (Kberna, in Tunisian language): Boys. We follow the lives of 5 boys between the ages of 11 and 16. This coming of age film spans two years and guides us through the lives of these five volunteers as we watch them grow and mature before our very eyes. Get an intimate look into their lives as they discuss everything from puberty to problems facing everyday life. A glimpse into the teenage boy mind told only as a boy can tell you: direct and blunt. Each boy was given their own camera to highlight aspects of their day, and give a personal diary. An exploration of the complex male body and mind and what makes puberty for a boy a sometimes stressful and always a strange and wonderful part of growing up. A fun movie to watch. It explores the deepest parts of the male adolescent mind. This film follows 5boys, already in various stages of puberty. For two years the coming of age cinema work cameras followed these volunteers and filmed their growth. The boys were also each given their own video camera to film their "personal diary." This version we offer was originally made for a "The Maghreb countries audience".

Kberna is a gem if a little movie from those groundbreaking filmmakers in Tunisia. It stars the young Tamer Mohsen as Khaled, a soon to be 13 year-old Tunisian boy who thinks growing up is the worst thing in the world. His outlook on humanity and growing up is a bleak and disturbing world. His only interaction with adults is with his mother, who has very limited time for her son, and his mother’s boyfriend…a man who doesn’t exactly fit the “positive male role model” category. His outlook on adulthood is almost as bleak as the era in which this film was shot. While he slowly makes his way into puberty, he keeps a daily audio journal of all the changes his body is going through.

In search of the perfect job, his mother accepts a summer position at a hotel in the next town over. She informs Khaled that he must now spend the summer at a sleep-away camp. Khaled instead decides to “miss” the bus to the camp, turn around, and march right back home where he will spend the rest of the summer once his mother leaves. One last ditch effort to enjoy his “remaining” days as a kid. A tremendous work from the young Tunisian producer Safi Mhajba.