Le ciel attendra (2016)

At 17, Sonia wants to leave her family and join the jihad. She is convinced this is the only way for her and her family to go to paradise. In the end, she comes to her senses… unlike Mélanie. An ordinary teenager raised by her mother, Mélanie divides her time between school, her friends, and cello lessons. On the internet, she starts chatting with a “prince” who influences her. Her parents watch their child change. Mélanie is a young woman who goes out with her friends, shops, and uses social media. She has humanitarian ideals and sells pencils to raise money for a school in Burkina Faso. She regularly visits her grandmother in the hospital. She comes from a middle-class family that encourages her to pursue a musical education, including learning the cello. She is a virgin and prefers the company of a reassuring boy. The character calling himself “In Love with Freedom,” who presents himself as a young “prince,” approaches her gently, then persuades her. “In Love with Freedom” contacts her after her grandmother dies, with a message of comfort. He tells her about the death of his little brother and expresses his sympathy. He sends her a first video on this occasion: the majesty of the African savannah. He tells her he is Muslim. He sets about seducing her. She cuts herself off from those around her—her friends and family—and from school. “In Love with Freedom” exploits Mélanie’s feelings and sends her explicit messages. He unsettles her with a second video about major conspiracies. Mélanie grows distant from her friends. “In Love with Freedom” lays down his demands, starting with giving up music (her cello) and no longer speaking to men. He strengthens their bond with affectionate expressions (“you are my rough diamond”). She cuts ties with her non-believing friends, and also with Jamila, who is not devout enough. She wants to leave for Syria to join “In Love with Freedom” (Medhi), marry him, and give herself to him. In the end, she is completely submissive. Sonia is arrested while leaving for Syria: she is suspected of planning to carry out a terrorist attack on French soil. She tells those around her that she has stayed in contact with her network and will not renounce her “faith.” After her house arrest, Sonia appears tense and angry, and tries to contact her network again using her little sister’s phone. Despite her clashes with her father and mother, she loves them. She is convinced that dying a martyr would save her family. Her family tries to rebuild its connection with her. She eventually returns to school, but continues to behave in a bipolar manner; she is terrified and paranoid. She manages to contact her network again, but backs out, and shares her feelings of guilt with her mother. At a support-group meeting, she eventually reveals the change in personality she underwent: