The Unknown Saint is a 2019 internationally co-produced comedy-drama film directed by Alaa Eddine Aljem. It was selected as the Moroccan entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.
Contents
Synopsis
A thief driving a car is chased by the police through the Moroccan desert, where he hastily hides his bag of money at the top of a hill just before being arrested.
Released after years in prison, he returns there with his accomplices. But a “Mausoleum of the Unknown Saint” has been built on the summit of the hill that conceals his buried treasure. By day, the mausoleum has become a healing place of worship for the nearby villagers, and at night a guard watches over it with his dog to prevent it from being looted. The thief and his main accomplice settle in the village in order to recover their hidden loot.
A series of unforeseen events prevents them from succeeding. After the prayers of a group of villagers, rain finally falls. And once the thieves ultimately blow up the mausoleum, “The Miracle of the Unknown Saint” occurs, bringing joy and prosperity to the village, isolated amid dust and rocks.
Cast
Younes Bouab as The thief
Salah Bensalah as The Brain
Bouchaib Semmak as Hassan
Hassan Ben Badida as The Nurse
Mohammed Nouaimane as Brahim
Anas El Baz as The doctor