Once Upon a Time in the Oud (Once Upon a Time in the Oued) (translated)

Il était une fois dans l'Oued (2005) is a French comedy written and directed by Djamel Bensalah, its title nodding to Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West. The protagonist is a young Frenchman raised among friends of North African background who has persuaded himself that he too comes from the Maghreb. When one of his close friends marries, he takes it as the perfect moment to reinvent his life and decides to move to Algeria for good. The film treats questions of identity and belonging with a light, comic touch. Julien Courbey and Marilou Berry head the cast.