Changing Times 2006

Antoine, a prosperous French civil engineer, embarks on a journey to Tangiers primarily to oversee the construction of a media center, but deep down, his true intention is to reconnect with his first love, Cécile. After discovering Cécile’s residence in Tangiers, Antoine anonymously sends her a bouquet of roses daily at the radio station where she hosts her French-Arabic show, unaware that Cécile is indifferent to her mysterious admirer. Cécile, who had married soon after her affair with Antoine, found herself divorced before marrying Nathan, a younger Moroccan Jewish doctor.

Antoine has meticulously tracked the time since they last met—31 years, 8 months, and 20 days—and his desire to rekindle their romance drives him to Morocco. Having remained unmarried, he enlists Nabila, his Moroccan aide, to explore the intriguing possibility of using witchcraft to win Cécile’s heart back. Fate intervenes when Antoine and Cécile serendipitously encounter each other in a supermarket, leading to an unfortunate incident where Antoine injured his nose by walking into a glass window. Nathan, being with Cécile at the time, swiftly comes to his aide.

Coinciding with Antoine’s arrival, Cécile and Nathan’s son, Sami, comes to visit Tangiers along with his girlfriend Nadia and her young son Saïd. Sami often leaves the pair alone, opting to meet his Moroccan boyfriend Bilal instead. Their relationship rekindles as Bilal embraces Sami’s indecision. Meanwhile, Nadia yearns to reconnect with her twin sister Aïcha, a conservative observant Muslim who works in a fast-food joint and ignores Nadia’s attempts to meet. Eventually, Nathan uncovers Nadia’s struggle with prescription pills, prompting Sami to consider returning to Paris.

Cécile, now a woman with cold demeanor, suppresses her youthful aspirations and wrestles with a life filled with dissatisfaction. Her marriage to Nathan is far from perfect; Nathan’s stalled career is exacerbated by his infidelity. With encouragement from her friend Rachel, Cécile reluctantly acknowledges Antoine’s advances, suggesting a fleeting romance rather than a lifelong commitment. As they share an intimate moment, Antoine’s hopes seem to finally flourish, just as despair looms on the horizon. Shortly thereafter, a catastrophic incident at Antoine’s construction site leaves him in a coma, with Cécile by his side throughout his recovery.

The separation between Cécile and Nathan follows Nathan’s relocation to Casablanca for work, rumored to have ignited a relationship with Aïcha. Meanwhile, Bilal grapples with the decision of whether to join Sami in Paris. Months pass, and during one of Cécile’s hospital visits, Antoine awakens from his coma, leading to a poignant moment as their hands intertwine, rekindling a flicker of hope in their complex love story.