‘Where The Wind Comes From’ Review – A Funny, Heartfelt Look At Chasing Dreams [Sundance 2025]

“If we can’t even dream, what’s left of us?”

This question is posed by 19-year-old Alyssa (Eya Bellagha) near the onset of Tunisian writer-director Amel Guellaty’s debut feature, Where the Wind Comes From, and this thought encapsulates the tone of the entire film. It follows Alyssa and her childhood best friend Mehdi (Slim Baccar) as aimless young adults trying to leave their prospectless lives and find something more exciting. The early going of the film finds them at odds with the adults in their lives begging them to get jobs and move on from the fantasies they’ve cooked up for themselves. This is where Alyssa asks that question, and it stumps those around her. What happens in a world where people aren’t permitted to dream or to have desires? 

In addition to seeking more traditional jobs, Mehdi is an amateur artist who makes elaborate and imaginative drawings of what he sees around him. One day Alyssa sees a flyer describing an art contest where the winner receives a six-month stint at an art school in Germany. This could be their ticket out of their dull existence. Once Mehdi’s piece is accepted, their only challenge is finding a way to the competition where the ultimate winner will be announced. This leads to a series of hijinks and challenges that prove difficult to overcome as they journey to the competition.

Where the Wind Comes From masterfully blends a buddy road-trip comedy with emotionally piercing beats bound to move even the most cynical viewer. Zany, snappy sequences are woven in with calm moments of reflection between the young duo. Bellagha and Baccar’s chemistry is unbelievable for relatively young and inexperienced actors. Their relationship as platonic best friends works wonderfully and it seems like they’ve known each other their whole lives. These characters are lived in and are wholly real. They know what to say to one another when things go wrong on their road trip but also the buttons to push to send the other over the edge. Honestly, they’re so good together there’s a good chunk of the film that you wonder why they aren’t more than just friends. 

While Bellagha and Baccar are the biggest highlights of the film, there’s more going on throughout the film to be excited about. The colors are vibrant at several points, specifically an early shot with Alyssa and Mehdi sitting together in bed, the former in red, the latter in blue. The wall on either side of them is lit to match their respective colors and it makes for a dazzling image. The hues follow the pair throughout the movie, seemingly waxing and waning in tandem with how they feel at any given moment. 

Writer-director Amel Guellaty perfectly captures the voice of a generation through Alyssa and Mehdi. As part of their obstacle-filled road trip, they try to get a taxi only to find the drivers are on strike. “My future depends on this trip!” Alyssa says to one of the drivers. His response encapsulates what young people are told constantly: “Your future will have to wait.” Dreams are snuffed out by those who want to maintain control, and the dreamers are left stuck hoping for something more. Even with this suppression, Alyssa and Mehdi jump at the chance to make something happen in their lives and take a leap of faith with each other to get out of the ho-hum lives they’re used to. 

Where the Wind Comes From is a major achievement from Guellaty as she channels the frustrations and whimsy of youth into her feature debut. Colorful images work well with the two leads’ chemistry and a script full of laughs and strong emotional moments that pack a punch.

Where the Wind Comes From had its World Premiere in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition section of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.

Director: Amel Guellaty

Writer: Amel Guellaty

Rated: NR

Runtime: 99m