The Imagine Fantastic Film Festival 2025 is underway, and first up for me is Roqia, the debut feature film of Algerian director Yanis Koussim. Pairing the exorcism subgenre with Algeria’s generational trauma, Roqia piqued my interest from the get-go. I am a sucker for exorcisms, and featuring them with the cultures and religions of different countries had me excited. Roqia (Algerian for exorcism) may just be the film to reinvigorate the subgenre after the saturation of subpar American exorcism films over the last few years.
The driving force of Roqia comes in two parts. In the present, an ageing exorcist (Raqi) battles Alzheimer’s while his younger assistant fears that an ancient evil will be released. In 1993, Ahmed returns home after a car accident with amnesia. He doesn’t recognize his family, and his past is quick to haunt him.
Raqi
In the present, Raqi (Mostefa Djadjam) suffers from Alzheimer’s while his disciple (Akhram Djeghim) cares for him. They have a neighbor who visits and helps, who has her own past with being possessed. Raqi has begun wandering around and misplacing his Quran. Raqi performs an exorcism and speaks backwards, scaring everyone in the room. As violence spreads in their area, Raqi’s disciple fears that his worsening condition may unleash an atavistic disease.
Ahmed
During Algeria’s Black Decade (1992- 2002), Ahmed (Ali Namous) returns home after a car wreck with his face covered in bandages and no recollection of who he is. His son fears him, and Ahmed doesn’t trust his closest friend. However, his wife Selma (Lydia Hanni) is charming and extremely welcoming. She fills him in on the best aspects of their relationship, family, and life together.
Ahmed grows increasingly frustrated and afraid due to his memory loss and strange occurrences. He has been questioned repeatedly about the circumstances and events leading up to the car crash, implying that he may have committed a crime. He’s missing an index finger and is hearing voices speaking in an unknown language. We learn a great deal about him from his wife, and she admits to him that he came home from Afghanistan a changed man. In turn, Ahmed fears becoming that man again.
Roqia is ambiguous and slow-paced throughout, relying heavily on the characters, sound design, and cinematography. Roqia creates an intimate yet unsettling atmosphere that kept me in a constant state of unease. There are no cheap jump scares or unbelievable effects. The tension builds slowly until, eventually, the events we fear will occur actually do. Roqia is definitely a film you should add to your watchlist. Find a dark room, settle in, and let the goosebumps take over.
