Layla M

We first meet Dutch/Moroccan teenager Layla at a football match, cheering on her team and enraged by the ease with which racial slurs are thrown about on the pitch. Whilst her referee father shrugs them off, she struggles with the slights. Increasingly disillusioned by her own society's latent discrimination and its indifference to violence in the Middle East, Layla begins to find a sense of community with people who share her concerns. Growing increasingly distant from her family, who are perplexed by the conservative views she embraces, Layla leaves home and marries Abdel, a member of her group. Clearly smitten, the innocence of their growing attraction highlights a youthful naivety. However, as restrictions on how they live their life multiply, Layla begins to question the choices she has made. (London Film Festival)