Céline Roustan
A hair salon is one of those places where women of all walks of life and all generations come together and talk freely about everything and nothing. In Y’a pas d’heure pour les femmes (Ain’t No Time for Women), Sarra El Abed joins a group of Tunisian women as they get their hair done and discuss politics, on the eve of the 2019 presidential election. Both insightful and entertaining, while conversations focus on who to vote for, the film also authentically captures the unique charisma of Tunisian women.
It would definitely be quite ambitious to assume that people would know the specifics of Tunisian politics – from the Independence to the Revolution – and I know that firsthand. Given how important having some historical context is to appreciating the film, El Abed starts her film with a couple of title cards that quickly and effectively establish the political situation and more importantly the women’s place in Tunisian society. With that out of the way, any viewer is then able to enjoy the fly-on-the-wall style of the documentary, which gives the film its intimate authenticity.
“I always wanted to go back and immortalize these women that taught me feminism and strength”
El Abed shared with us that she has been fascinated by this particular hair salon ever since she was a young girl and would visit regularly with her grandmother. Very conscious of the specific energy that this place fosters, she added “I always wanted to go back and immortalize these women that taught me feminism and strength”. Given how strong and charismatic these women can be and how compelling their conversations are, only a cinéma vérité approach could recreate that on screen. To achieve the desired intimate look and feel, El Abed got the women comfortable with the camera by spending hours just hanging out with them, to the point where “they almost forgot we were there”.
One can only imagine all the footage they had on their hands when entering the post-production stage, which makes the editing all the more impressive, as it successfully shapes a narrative with multiple layers. It is undeniably pleasant to spend time “shooting the shit” with the witty regulars at the salon, but Ain’t No Time for Women also paints a fun and insightful portrait of Tunisian women from different generations. Capturing their resilience, their love for their country, their strength, sense of humor and cleverness, the director describes her film as “a love letter to the Tunisian women and a love letter to the women that raised me”. Before adding that she wanted to “share them with the rest of the world so they could see how amazing and brilliant they are”.
“It was really natural. We basically put the camera there and spent multiple hours just hanging out with them” – El Abed on immersing herself in the salon
El Abed’s grandmother also deserves a shout out here, her positivity radiates through the screen and after watching Ain’t No Time for Women you’ll wish she could do the end credits of every film.
Ain’t No Time for Women had quite the festival run in 2021, with notable stops at Slamdance, Clermont-Ferrand, Hot Docs, Regard and the Palm Springs ShortFest, ahead of its online premiere through the New Yorker. Having qualified for consideration for the 2022 Oscars, El Abed’s film is currently in its FYC campaign and I’ll be crossing my fingers for the upcoming Short List announcement on December 21st.