Young Ahmed 2019

Ahmed is a teenage Muslim living with his family in Seraing, where recent transformations in his life have profoundly impacted him. Following the death of a devout cousin and under the influence of his imam, Youssouf, Ahmed has not just embraced Islamic practices but has also adopted an extreme interpretation of the Quran. This noticeable shift does not go unnoticed by Inès, a fellow Muslim and a supportive teacher at Ahmed’s school who provides him with extra attention due to his dyslexia.

To help her students improve their Arabic skills, Inès introduces a new initiative combining music with language instruction. During a community meeting to discuss this plan, tensions arise. Youssouf warns Ahmed and his brother Rachid that Inès is an apostate and blasphemer, implying that her actions could undermine the faith. Consequently, they attend the meeting, where they voice their concerns, suggesting that Inès’ actions could lead to the downfall of Islam, exacerbating existing divisions among the attendees. They accuse her of indifference, claiming that her new boyfriend is Jewish, and ultimately leave the meeting without further explanation.

Inès seeks to mend things with Ahmed but finds him unreceptive. However, after partaking in a prayer session, Ahmed resolves on a more drastic course of action: he plots to assassinate Inès. He sneakily gains access to her apartment building and conceals himself in the stairwell, waiting for her to come out. When the moment arrives, he charges at her but fails in his attempt. He then flees to Youssouf’s side, who curtly disavows responsibility for the incident. Instead, Youssouf insists that Ahmed must face the consequences of his actions and prepares him with a scripted statement for questioning by the police, shielding the mosque from scrutiny in the process.

Consequently, Ahmed finds himself confined to a juvenile detention center. The environment there is supportive, but Ahmed feels uncomfortable and rejects offers to engage in farmwork. During one visit, his mother, La mère, informs him of Inès’s desire to meet him; however, he declines this opportunity. She also reveals that Rachid testified against Youssouf, leading to the imam’s arrest. This news prompts a heartfelt reaction from her, as she pleads with Ahmed to reconsider his staunch beliefs.

Time passes and Ahmed starts feeling the weight of his situation. He expresses a willingness to work on the farm and mentions his desire to meet Inès, but insists that a psychologist must evaluate him first. Following a session with the psychologist, Ahmed articulates that he believes meeting Inès could provide clarity about his motivations behind the assassination attempt. He writes a letter to his mother, asking for her forgiveness while framing it as a list of requests. Leading up to the meeting, he conceals a ballpoint pen in his sock, suggesting his inner turmoil and unresolved intentions.

As Inès enters the meeting room, Ahmed’s emotions surface, and she breaks down at the sight of him, fleeing before he can act on his darker impulses. Ahmed leaves the meeting with the letter returned to him but finds encouragement to persist in his work on the farm. During his time there, he meets a Caucasian teenager named Louise, who quickly develops romantic feelings for him. In a moment where their relationship intensifies, she kisses him unexpectedly. Initially taken aback, Ahmed responds, but ultimately pulls back due to his moral convictions regarding premarital intimacy. When he inquires whether she would convert to Islam to atone for his perceived sins, she firmly declines.

As Ahmed prepares to leave the compound, he confronts Louise again in a hayloft, questioning why she wouldn’t embrace Islam if she is attracted to him. Their conversation becomes heated, culminating in Ahmed pushing her onto the hay before walking away for good.

On the way back to the detention center, Ahmed begins to feel overheated. Using this as an opportunity, he requests to remove his seatbelt to take off his jacket and seizes the chance to open the door and escape into the surrounding woods. After evading his caseworker, Ahmed manages to catch a bus to Inès’s school, where he discovers the doors are locked. Determined, he improvises, scaling the walls to enter through a window. Unfortunately, while attempting to break in, he pulls down an object from the wall, resulting in a painful fall. Despite his injuries, Ahmed drags himself close to a metal fence and retrieves a tool from his jacket to strike the fence repeatedly.

Upon hearing the noise, Inès rushes out to investigate. She finds him in agony and offers to call an ambulance. Before heading back to the school for assistance, Ahmed asks her for forgiveness. Inès, touched by his plea, nods and holds his hand briefly, hoping this moment might bridge the growing gap between their lives.