Synopsis

In 1972, Julia leaves England for Marrakech with her two young daughters, Bea and Lucy, seeking freedom, spiritual meaning, and escape from a failed relationship. Living precariously in the medina, the family encounters unfamiliar customs, transient travelers, and Bilal, a Moroccan acrobat who becomes part of their unsettled household. As Julia pursues self-discovery, the girls struggle with instability while finding their own ways to understand Morocco.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film adapts Esther Freud's semi-autobiographical 1992 novel, which draws on her childhood in Morocco with her mother and older sister.

• The title comes from a game played by the two girls. "Hideous" and "kinky" were words they remembered from an adult conversation and turned into a phrase that could make the player temporarily safe from being tagged.

• Filming took place on location in and around Marrakech, including the medina, Djemaa el Fna, the Bahia Palace, and the Ben Youssef Madrasa.

• The production was filmed from October through December 1997, shortly after Kate Winslet's breakthrough in Titanic.

• Winslet met Jim Threapleton, a third assistant director on the production, while making the film. They married in 1998.

• Hideous Kinky was the last theatrical film appearance of French actor Pierre Clementi.