Hideous Kinky is a 1998 drama film directed by Scottish director Gillies MacKinnon. Based on Esther Freud's semi-autobiographical 1992 novel of the same name, it follows a young English mother who moves from London to Morocco with her two young daughters in the early 1970s. The film stars Kate Winslet and French-Moroccan actor Saïd Taghmaoui. The soundtrack mixes original music with songs from the 1960s, including tracks from Canned Heat, Richie Havens, and The Incredible String Band.
Plot In 1972, Julia is a 25-year-old English woman disillusioned with her life in London, who travels to Morocco with her two daughters, six-year-old Lucy and eight-year-old Bea. Their father, a London poet, sends occasional money from England. In Marrakesh, the three live in an inexpensive hotel, while Julia tries to make a living by selling handmade dolls. The girls appear to enjoy the freedom of their new surroundings, although Bea increasingly shows signs of missing her life in England.
The family meets Bilal, a Moroccan street performer and conman, who becomes romantically involved with Julia. He moves in with them and gradually assumes a surrogate fatherly role, although is frequently absent and has difficulties of his own. Julia also becomes interested in Sufism after meeting her friend Eva, who encourages her to travel to Algeria to study with a Sufi teacher at a school devoted to the "annihilation of the ego". The family continue moving between different locations as Julia struggles to find enough money to support them. They spend time with the European expatriate Santoni and later travel into the countryside.
As their money runs short, Bea becomes increasingly unhappy and tells Julia she does not want another adventure, but just wants to go to school. Julia leaves Bea temporarily in the care of friends while she and Lucy travel towards Algeria. Upon returning, Julia discovers that Bea has disappeared and after searching, learns that she has been taken in by Patricia, a Christian woman who runs an orphanage and appears reluctant to leave. Patricia tells Julia that Bea needs a more conventional and stable upbringing.
Julia recovers Bea and returns with both girls to Marrakesh, where they are briefly reunited with Bilal. Bea subsequently becomes seriously ill with a streptococcus infection while Bilal is away and is close to death, which forces Julia to confront the risks of continuing their current lifestyle. Julia and the girls eventually discover that Bilal has obtained three tickets to London by selling his distinctive uniform, allowing them to return home. They board a train for London, bringing their adventure to an end.
Production The film was shot on location in Morocco.
Cast
Reception Kate Winslet's performance won praise from many reviewers. In Entertainment Weekly, Lisa Schwartzbaum argued that Winslet "perfectly projects that naive self-centeredness with which a Woodstock generation of young wanderers, seeking spiritual revelation, made their way to cultures as exotic as their thumbs could take them". In Variety, critic Lisa Nesselson also praised the "radiant" and "sturdy" Winslet for her performance, and argued that the film was "filtered through a sober and intelligent artistic eye". Rolling Stone reviewer Craig Mathieson called the film "a compelling authentic journey".
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