Coup de Grâce

In Mosul, Nawal takes care of her ailing mother Samia. The mother’s condition gets worse as medicine is no longer available in the city. In the few days she has left, Nawal, her mother and their neighbor share small moments of joy. The ladies sing and dance, they use make-up and make scents, they tell jokes and laugh too hard. In the midst of illness, poverty and war, they manage to transform something dire into something joyful, creating beauty where ugliness strikes.

Jean is a family man and factory worker who dreams of becoming a songwriter. Pinning his hopes on his teenage daughter, Marva, he takes her to singing contests in which the awkward and overweight girl struggles to belt out a tune. When Jean is suddenly fired because of cut backs, he is ashamed and even more desperate to have his daughter succeed. In a chance meeting Jean kidnaps the most famous pop star in the country and holds her hostage demanding to be heard by the music industry. Catching the attention of the media and the eyes of the nation, Jean and Marva realize that the show must go on until everyone is famous.