Faouzi Bensaïdi is a kind of jack of all trades. An actor, screenwriter, director, and artist, he is at the forefront of Morocco's cinematic revival, and his second feature, WWW: What a Wonderful World, received heaps of praise upon its release back in 2006. Recalling films by Aki Kaursmaki and Elia Suleiman, WWW is the story of hitman Kamel who falls in love with a sexy traffic cop who is best friends with Kamel's favorite prostitute. Meanwhile, a young computer hacker is determined to make his way to the west when he gets caught up in a deadly game of deception and deceit involving human traffickers, ultimately turning to Kamel to help him get his revenge. WWW is a film with a lot of potential that falls very much short of living up to it. Citing Frank Tashlin, Buster Keaton, and others as his inspiration, Bensaïdi is too minimalist in the construction of this film. We are given a sketch of something bigger, but it is never quite filled in. There is a difference between minimalism, and just leaving things out for the sake of leaving things out, and WWW tends to fall more into the latter category as opposed to the former. Though, there are some wonderful moments in here, including an entire sequence where Kamel is forced to kill in the middle of a crowded shopping mall, and must escape disguised as a woman. But this is also another drawback, for all of the brilliantly directed sequences, they never really feel as if they come together as a complete film, instead it is more like watching a series of sketches. However, Bensaïdi certainly has talent, and could become a unique and influential voice in world cinema if he is able to harness his creative energies and focus them into something a bit more developed and cohesive. Even though WWW is not a perfect film, it still boasts enough rich originality to render it of interest to those looking for something offbeat, fresh, and exciting.
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