A tense, atmospheric thriller, Hounds is Moroccan director Kamal Lazraq’s impressive feature film debut set on the streets of Casablanca.

It follows a hapless father-son duo who run into trouble after a kidnapping goes wrong and things go from bad to worse. It sets the pair on a path they must navigate with what little resources they have, forced to fly by the seat of their pants.

Unfolding over one night, Lazraq's film employs a dark sense of humour, imbuing its central characters a Safdie-esque quality, which is cleverly used as a lens through which to view the dark underbelly of Moroccan society and the conflict between religious beliefs and survival.

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