Life Suits Me Well

‘It is okay to be angry with the world, but not with the people who love you.’ Fouad, the patriarch of a loving family in northern Morocco, is a technician whose life is disrupted by a neurological disease. While Fouad is dying, his family rediscovers itself by sharing patience, love, sadness and memories. In their little city, isolated and disadvantaged in comparison to the rest of the modern world, funny Fouad is the life of the party. But even this peaceful town cannot escape modernity. His wife and children each live at their own pace and cherish the dream of emigrating to France, just like the eldest son, who lives in Paris. Everyone seems to want to learn new languages. Apart from French and Arabic, we also hear lessons in Spanish, English and German. In the background of this drama we get the feeling that the power of learning gives wings to all desire. 

The title of the film, ‘Life Suits Me Well’, summarizes his own approach to growth and the difficulties in life: finding humanity in spite of the inhumanity brought forth by a mental disease. Fouad is not the centre of the story, but his son Ismaïl is, when he learns to drink beer for the first time. Suddenly he grows up and it is his job to take on more responsibilities and to help take care of his family. The result is a touching drama about family bonds and what it means to stay strong in miserable circumstances. As time goes on, they learn how to tie the shoelaces of sadness and that the desire to live is unsatiable.