(nathan fielder voice) Olfa needed to move past her trauma. So I hired two actresses to portray her estranged daughters and had her and her other two daughters reenact everything they’d gone through.

An astounding experiment that grows into something trippy, beguiling and unnerving. I turned to my partner while watching this to say I felt like I was on drugs even though I was not (for once) while watching this. One of the most stunning examples of the feminine grotesque I’ve seen in a very long time.

This documentary tells the story of Olfa and her daughters, two of whom are no longer with the family for “certain” reasons. The events are told in interviews and also reenacted by actors representing the two absent girls and other characters. This causes some really awkward situations. At one point, one of the real daughters tells the actor who plays her stepfather how much she hates him, with a sharp knife in her hand. The guy really scared himself shitless and asked to leave. I really don’t know how mentally healthy it is to do this and relive extreme situations, but I hope they’re ok after doing it. The child at the end is heartbreaking.

2024 Oscars | 96th Academy Awards

This family that had destroyed you, I won't let it destroyed me.

Bleak and heart-wrenching in the most dispriting way possible but more importantly, it's both therapeutic and healing to the people involved.

I love how the doc is very experimental and unorthodox in its approach to storytelling, which is rather refreshing from the typical traditional approach to documentaries. The constant change from fiction and documentary really tripped me for a while but once I grew accustomed to it, this documentary surpassed all of my expectations.

I do sincerely hope that all of these women finds peace and solace one day, to hopefully ease the insurmountable pain of their traumatic past and the struggles that follows them till this day.

FOUR DAUGHTERS is a fascinating blend of reality & fiction in a docu-drama that emotionally hooks you into Olfa Hamrouni‘a relationship with her daughters. The setup can initially seem confusing, but the restraint from Kaouther Ben Hania pays off with a gut punch of a reveal and a thorough examination of how the oppressive system of the Islamic State has wrecked trauma upon this mother. An ingenious use of re-enactments.

on passe des rires aux larmes au djihadisme en un rien de temps

Four Daughters is a documentary about deeply sad events. It tracks cycles of abuse and misogyny that end up leading two girls to fundamentalist religious indoctrination. As a film Four Daughters is personal, almost like an intense form of therapy for its subjects. The film takes an approach that blurs reality and performance, leaving the details of events as just a sketch while the emotions are explained. The backdrop of Four Daughters is revolution and Islam within Tunisia, which the film highlights even though it just follows one family. It's a powerful documentary that provides insight into damaged lives, creating something that stays with you and makes the world seem more complex than it did before.

2023 Ranked
My Top Documentary Films

Confusing; creative; curious; interesting; original; sad; uneven.