"In a Whisper" Explores Family Bonds

In a Whisper, a film directed by Leyla Bouzid, follows Lilia as she goes back to Tunisia in the wake of her Uncle Daly’s death. Lilia is accompanied by her girlfriend on the flight, but once they arrive Alice must stay at a hotel and keep her presence a secret from Lilia’s family members, most of whom don’t know about her sexuality. Over the course of the film, Lilia must cope with the judgement her family casts upon Daly for being gay, the homophobic laws of her home country, and the rising tension in her relationship.

I watched this movie as part of the Reeling Film Festival, an international LGBTQ+ film festival in Chicago. Read my coverage of Free Beer Tomorrow and stay tuned for more queer film reviews coming soon!

Lilia (Eya Bouteraa) and Alice (Marion Barbeau) reside in France. Lilia is the only person in her family who moved out of the country. Even her mother (Hiam Abbass), who flouted convention by working a job and getting a divorce, does not understand her daughter’s desire to be an engineer so far from where she grew up. This dynamic creates tension between Lilia and the women who love her prior to her sexuality coming to light. Her mother, her aunt, and her grandmother all shower her with love, but they refuse to condone her choices. 

At times, Lilia’s story felt a bit cliche. It seems like half of the LGBTQ+ movies hit the same beats—queer person is in the closet, queer person is scared to come out to their family, their family finds out, it’s bad for a while, then things get better. I’ve seen this story enough times to guess the ending. Still, though, In a Whisper remains a movie worth watching because of the cast. Their fights feel real. I believe every word they say and every emotion that washes over their faces when they think nobody’s looking. The story might not be innovative, but the performances by Abbass, Bouteraa, and Barbeau are captivating. I would watch the scene where the three of them are in a room together for the first time again and again.

The underlying driver of the film is the mysterious death of Lilia’s Uncle Daly. It becomes clear that he was murdered by people with enough power to cover it up. Although everyone in the family knew he was gay, he was forced to marry a woman and live a life he didn’t want. His untimely death prompts Lilia to remember all of the times her uncle behaved oddly. She relives the moments where she saw him fighting with ex-partners or dissociating through his own wedding. 

The similarities between Lilia’s experience and Daly’s are striking. Daly once had a great love that he pushed away for the sake of his family. Now, Lilia is wondering if she needs to do the same thing. Can she tell her mother about Alice, or will it break her heart? In a Whisper makes good use of music and slow, panning scenes to underline just how difficult this decision is for her. This is juxtaposed with mumblecore-esque scenes between Lilia and Alice as they discuss their relationship and search for the truth surrounding Daly’s death. It creates a sense of gravity that illustrates Tunisian culture and serves to emphasize the difference between Lilia’s traditional family and the family she made for herself in France.

The beauty of this film is the distinct, vibrant relationships between each of the women. They all have unique personalities that play off of one another in varied ways, making each scene feel grounded. In a Whisper is a coming out narrative, but it’s also a story about multiple mother-daughter relationships and the necessity of family.