SC-S28/W5-Movie Highlights| "Old is Gold" (The Silences of the Palace)

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Hello my dear Steemians,

Even though cinema has evolved in a way that makes today’s films look sharper, louder, and faster, I still believe that many older movies feel richer because they are not afraid to slow down, to let a scene breathe, and to trust that the audience can understand a character’s pain or hope without being spoon fed every emotion, which is exactly why the challenge theme “Old is Gold” fits perfectly with the classic Tunisian film I chose for this week.

Classic movie (before 2000): The Silences of the Palace (Samt el qusur), 1994, written and directed by Moufida Tlatli, a film that explores gender and class through the memories of women connected to a palace household during Tunisia’s protectorate era and after.

Film synopsis

The story follows Alia, a young woman who earns a living as a wedding singer, and when she returns to the palace where she spent her childhood, the visit pulls her into a chain of flashbacks that reveal what her mother and the other female servants endured, what Alia witnessed without fully understanding at the time, and why the palace that looked beautiful from the outside was also a place where dignity could be quietly taken away, not with one dramatic moment, but with a long routine of humiliation, control, and silence.

What makes the plot hit harder is that Alia’s questions are not only about the past, but also about her identity and her future, because the film lets you feel how unfinished pain can travel through years, how secrets can shape someone’s choices, and how “freedom” can still feel complicated when you grew up surrounded by invisible cages.

Main cast

• Ghalya Lacroix as Alia (adult)
• Hend Sabry as Alia (young)
• Amel Hedhili as Khedija (Alia’s mother)
• Najia Ouerghi as Khalti Hadda
• Sami Bouajila as Lotfi

General characteristics of the film

This film is structured around memory, so instead of moving in a straight line, it moves like a mind revisiting an old wound, returning to the same place from different angles until the viewer understands why certain silences existed, and why speaking up was never simple, it also mixes tenderness with cruelty in a way that feels realistic, because oppression is rarely “movie evil,” it is often ordinary people protecting a system that benefits them.

What felt different about the storytelling compared to newer films?

First, the pacing is patient, and that patience becomes a weapon, because the director uses small details, a look, a corridor, a song, a door that closes, to build pressure slowly, whereas many modern films push you forward with constant plot events, quick edits, and loud emotional cues, second, the film’s drama is not designed for instant satisfaction, because it makes you sit with discomfort, and it makes you realize that the biggest tragedies are sometimes the ones people learn to treat as normal.

Did the film age well, or did some parts feel outdated?

It aged well because the film is not built on trendy references, flashy technology, or jokes that expire, and since its core themes are about power, class, and the way women’s lives can be controlled through social rules and private threats, it still feels painfully relevant, however, it is also a film with mature themes, and while nothing needs to be described in a graphic way to understand its message, viewers should know it deals with exploitation and harsh realities.

What made this movie a “classic”?

A classic is a film that keeps speaking even when time has changed the world around it, and this one became internationally recognized, including selection at Cannes (Directors’ Fortnight) and major awards, which shows that its storytelling and impact traveled beyond one audience and one country.

How do the characters and themes relate to today’s world?

Alia’s story connects to the present because many people today still struggle with the same question, which is how to build a future when the past was never properly acknowledged, and because society still has spaces where people are treated as “less than,” not always through visible violence, but through economic dependence, social shame, and the quiet pressure to accept what hurts, even the idea of silence feels modern, since social media can create a loud world where people still hide the most important truths inside themselves.

Conclusion

Watching The Silences of the Palace reminded me that “old is gold” is not nostalgia, it is recognition, because when a film is honest, beautifully crafted, and brave enough to show what people prefer to ignore, it does not get old, it becomes a mirror that each generation can look into and understand in a new way.

Thank you very much for reading, it's time to invite my friends @uzma4882 @eglis @suboohi to participate in this contest.

Best Regards,
@kouba01