Sundance Review: ‘Where the Wind Comes From’ is an Involving Story of Friendship and the Pursuit of More

Contests are a fascinating phenomenon because, for some, they’re just a chance to compete against others and enjoy the challenge of coming up with something clever. For others, they can mean everything: an opportunity to break free from existences ranging from banal and uninspiring to legitimately bleak and dangerous. Where the Wind Comes From presents a scenario that may not be all that dire but still seems like the end of the world for two friends, who are determined to do whatever they can to make their dreams a reality.

Alyssa (Eya Bellagha) and Mehdi (Slim Baccar) have been friends for years, and both see little promise ahead of them if they remain where they are in Tunis. News of an art contest in Djerba excites Alyssa, who devises to use Mehdi’s talent to get them both a ticket out of a dead-end future. Getting there isn’t as easy as it initially seems, but with the right push from the forceful Alyssa, Mehdi is mostly on board with this crazy adventure that could earn them just what they want and an opportunity to start over without ever looking back at the unenlightened past that brought them both together in the first place.

Where the Wind Comes From marks the feature directorial debut of Amel Guellaty, who brings a compelling voice and approach to a premise that otherwise might feel all too familiar. Alyssa and Mehdi aren’t fleeing persecution or something altogether serious, but instead have become set on the idea that there isn’t anywhere for them to go if they remain in Tunisia. It’s an understandable sentiment that encourages many young people to travel abroad where they believe the “grass will be greener on the other side,” unaware of both the challenges of beginning again somewhere new without understanding the language or the culture and the fact that staying where they are may actually provide more reliable and potentially even beneficial opportunities.

The dynamic that Alyssa and Mehdi have is also electric and key to this film’s success. Mehdi is 23 while Alyssa is 19, and she’s far more willing to speak her mind and loudly fight the system than he is. In Tunisian culture, law enforcement officials and other people in power typically defer to men, which does occur when Alyssa is attacked by a group of boys looking for trouble and she’s framed as having asked for it, but that just makes it all the more interesting since she’s the dominant one in their relationship, which isn’t sexual but instead based on shared interests, even if their demeanors couldn’t be any more different.

Where the Wind Comes From is peppered with moments of color and magic that serve as a visual representation of Alyssa’s imagination. Reminiscent of the same technique utilized in another film with a much darker tone also about African migration, the Oscar-nominated Io Capitano, it allows audiences to connect with this protagonist and the way in which she strives for excitement and liveliness in her dull life. This is a road trip movie that’s so much more about the idea of the destination than where it’s actually taking them, and the journey there is wholly worthwhile.

With few past acting credits among them, Bellagha and Baccar anchor a human story that provides both entertainment and the chance to think about what these people really want and how much they already have. Guellaty is a promising director whose Sundance debut is a worthy celebration of her talents, an eye-opening spotlight on Tunisia that speaks to the restlessness of people everywhere who just want to be somewhere other than the place they already are.

Movie Rating: 8/10