Ik ben Mohammed

Director Roy Dames presents a comprehensive portrait of young Moroccans from Rotterdam in various stages of life. Mohammed (29) was born in Morocco and came to Holland when he was thirteen. He was associating with `bad friends' for a while, but now he is an enthusiastic teacher of social studies. Soufian (17) arrived when he was ten, studied electrical engineering and is now training to be a barber. He and his best friend Hamid (18) wear black coats, greet each other by touching knuckles and have trouble finding a job. Drug dealer Tomaz (28) is `born and raised' in the Netherlands and has turned `criminal'. But when in the community centre a young Moroccan says `To be honest, I just want to take the criminal path', Tomaz gives him what for. It is clear that in everybody's perception the wrong path is just around the corner, even if they have good intentions and abilities. The most poignant example is Mohammed's pupil Achraf, whose study is subjected to stress due to his father's problems.