Is this a drama ? Is this a comedy ? Is it a dark comedy, for several weeks the Algerian public asked this question about El Batha, people were talking about it in the cafeterias, others were talking about it on social medias and the minstrels were singing about the genius of Nabil ASLI & Nassim HADDOUCHE … at the risk of shocking or even disappointing most of you, El Batha is not any of these three archetypes previously mentioned.
El BATHA is an Algerian tragi-comedy and its success comes down to the perfect mastery of its team of four pillars of this genre:
1. The Scenario: On paper the scenario of El BATHA is quite simple yet very complex and deep, at first glance we follow the adventures of several bizarre, anecdotal characters in a small confined space; We laugh at the tics, facial expressions and confusion between these colorful characters, sometimes ridiculous like wild animals in a cage… Unfortunately, reality quickly catches up with us! Are we laughing at the misfortune of these people? As you read this passage, the little voice in your head is already starting to make you feel guilty. Yes, in the end it’s just a group of people struggling to get out of misery and poverty… El BATHA is the antagonist of the series, it’s really a cage that suffocates its inhabitants and I enjoy sending them to the hospital, to prison, to disability… we are not in wonderland, happy endings for the inhabitants of El BATHA are not possible.
2. The Casting: El BATHA had the impact of a meteorite on Algerian cinema, for years we talked about “Talents” or “Passions” and that everyone should have a chance to play in such productions rare as the solar eclipse under the pretext of having a certain number of subscribers on a social platform… This year El BATHA hit us like a train, being an actor is a profession, continuous training and direction at the baguette. There is no such thing as chance, only work pays off.
3. The Space: El BATHA, a dump where unusable and worthless objects are thrown away to hide them from the eyes of first-zone citizens, where we find bricks, pieces of wood, pieces of metal and people! Yes, as sad to write as to read, the inhabitants of El BATHA are not even considered real people, they have neither dreams nor goals, they do not live, they survive… like gladiators waiting for their turn, except that El BATHA always wins.
4. Silences: The most important thing in a dialogue is not speech but silence, speaking for 10 minutes to explain or tell the past or the will of a character is a sign of the weakness of the scenario. The writers of El BATHA understood this very well, and mastered the subject so much that sometimes we are even surprised to guess realities that have never been told, we even get lost in our thoughts imagining lives for these characters imaginary yet so real and which resembles us.
El BATHA is a tragic masterpiece with limited potential that should be exploited in a feature film or in several spinoffs on the different characters. One thing is certain, El BATHA lives deep within each of us, and it will come back when we least expect it.