Both funny and chilling, Hakim relates the crazy escape of a man convinced to be the ideal culprit. Speaking of immigration, integration, racism, poverty, education, it is also the portrait of a shell-shocked society torn by its contradictions. Written in the words of the street, with a strong focus on spoken language, it is a true literary achievement.
At Roissy Airport, Hakim says goodbye to his wife Rita and their kids. They are going on holiday at his people’s place whereas he’s staying home to work on his Big Project: a comic book. Hakim is taking the suburb train to go back to his place, but the disturbing presence of a suspicious package in the carriage is going to change his plans. Yeah, sure, it is very unlikely that this unattended luggage should be a bomb. However… What if… What if it was?
The problem is, Hakim is very much Arab-looking, and with his too-short tracksuit (due to a laundry incident) and too-long beard (it is supposed to be fashionable now, isn’t it?), he really does look like an archetypal terrorist, especially in Post-Bataclan Paris. What should he do? In a panic, Hakim decides to flee—and his paranoia will trigger an improbable chain of events.
