Review by John P. Harvey.

4/5

Living a life of privilege as owners of the sardine cannery in Cantabria, Spain, Carmen (Elena Irureta) and her daughter, Begoña (Michelle Jenner), learn that the final wish of Carmen’s late husband is that they travel to a Moroccan port and collect the first boat in the family’s fishing fleet, Sardinete.  Begoña, who has refused to take over the sardine cannery and begins a new job in a week, resists, but, with the aid of Begoña’s ex-boyfriend, Guillermo (Julián López), Carmen persuades her to go along, with Guillermo as some kind of protection.

Guillermo’s motive actually is to win Begoña back, but an unattractive pusillanimity and wishywashyness soon make themselves evident, and it seems that Begoña will remain indifferent to him.

Once in Morocco, the family meets the young Moroccan Hamida (María Ramos Mouhoub), who in her own way helps all of them to realise the nature of their ingrained prejudices toward and stereotypes of Moroccans and to overturn them in delicious ways.

Whilst many films take a serious approach to such irrational prejudices as the family comes to terms with, A Moroccan Affair’s filmmakers simply make great sport of showing them for what they are.  Before long, Carmen has rediscovered her compassion, Begoñia has found some humanity, and Guillermo even finds the courage to publicly making a fool of himself — in a wedding ceremony that the Moroccans there will never forget.

Great fun.

Screening at Palace cinemas.