Fatima (French May 2016)

Fatima is a Moroccan-born single mother raising her two teenage daughters alone in Lyon. She speaks poor French, just enough for daily communication. And she works day and night as a cleaning lady to make ends meet. Her elder daughter, Nesrine, is a sensible 19-year-old medical student and is well aware of her mother’s sacrifice and hardship. Because of that, she works hard, but puts on too much pressure on herself. The other daughter Souad, a 15-year-old girl, rebels and even detests her mother for her poor French and low social status. One day, Fatima falls down on stairs at work. On leave, Fatima begins to write a dairy in Arabic about all her frustrations, dreams and hopes. The sentimental plots not only gently reflect the radical social problem, but also portray and celebrate the dignity of an ordinary immigrant mother.