El Ayel (The Kid), Mohammed Larbi, is a moody loner, about 10 years old and troubled from the start. He endures sickness, a traumatic circumcision, harsh religious catechism, and European Jansenism. The setting is Tangier during the mythic period of International Administration in the 1950’s. Larbi is a free spirit, preferring the open air and street life to the cloistered fami...