Projection Mois du film Documentaire : "Chaylla"
A film by Clara Teper and Paul Pirritano%A0as part of Documentary Film Month.
"Chaylla" is a documentary that follows the journey of Chaylla Rebahia, a 23-year-old woman, over the course of four years as she tries to escape an abusive marriage in Lens, in northern France.
Born in Roubaix, a stay-at-home mother to a young son with cystic fibrosis, Chaylla endures the wrath of a husband who has become violent and an alcoholic. Determined to fight for custody of her children, she files a complaint and decides to reclaim her rights in the face of a society and a patriarchal system in which she has no confidence. But she still holds onto the hope of rebuilding a family with her ex-partner, and her desire for emancipation clashes with the dynamics of control and dependence.
As time goes on, the camera stays close to Chaylla, never judging her, accompanying her through every stage of her struggle: legal proceedings, misunderstandings with social workers and institutions, and painful back-and-forths. Supported day to day by two women—her mother-in-law and her best friend—who bring joy and hope to her story, the film paints an intimate and political portrait of her struggle.