En Garde (2004)

In the opening credits, Alice is shown composing an apology: “I didn’t mean to.” Sixteen-year-old Alice is taken by her mother to a Catholic reformatory. She suffers from hypersensitive hearing—loud noises cause her pain. Her roommates, Martha and Josefine, bully and blackmail the introverted girl. Alice tries to keep a low profile and meets Berivan, a lively Kurdish girl who is waiting at the home for a positive decision on her asylum application. They both sign up for fencing lessons. Their trainer comments: “Fencing is like chess with weapons.” To escape Josefine and Martha’s harassment, Alice steals a Walkman from Berivan, who notices. They argue, but a friendship develops between the two girls. Using a lit cigarette Berivan has left behind, Alice starts a fire in their room. She covers up what she did, but leaves Berivan unsure whether she caused the fire. Eventually, through Alice, Berivan meets a boy named Ilir and falls in love with him. Alice sees her friendship with Berivan threatened. The situation escalates when Alice tells Sister Clara that Berivan’s asylum application is not in order. During a confrontation, Berivan knocks Sister Clara down, and she dies from a head injury. Alice, however, takes the blame. Toward the end of the film, Berivan receives her residence permit, and Alice is transferred to another home. Berivan ends her friendship with Alice. In the final scene, Alice says: “En garde! And go. Sometimes you give yourself over to the game and lose yourself in it. Then you forget yourself. You forget time and fear. Those are the most beautiful moments.”