Strawberries: Cannes Film Unveils Migrant Exploitation in Spanish Strawberry Fields

Directed by Laila Marrakchi, *Strawberries* follows Moroccan workers Hasna (Nisrin Erradi), a former Olympic taekwondo champion, and Meriem (Hajar Graigaa) as they travel to Spain for strawberry picking. They are recruited with promises of up to €35 a day but encounter undisclosed fees such as a €2 Wi-Fi charge, wage docking for bathroom breaks, and strict supervision. Their optimism fades into exposure to sexual coercion, kidnapping accusations, and a legal system that offers little recourse.

The Wrap

The narrative draws on documented Mediterranean migrant farm-labor cases where promised wages are reduced by hidden charges. The film also continues a recent Moroccan-cinema pattern: the last four Oscar submissions were directed by women and centered on female protagonists, underscoring a focus on gendered hardship.

The Wrap

The film shows repetitive manual labor under strict oversight, with overseers silencing dissent. Hasna confronts an overseer using her martial-arts training. When she seeks help at a legal-aid office, officials acknowledge bias favoring farm owners. Police label the women’s attempts to leave as voluntary prostitution, and a complaint accuses aid workers of kidnapping after Meriem’s miscarriage. Ivan (played by Paco Mora)’s presence in the shower room intensifies the power imbalance.

The Wrap

Reviewers call the film slow-paced and fragmentary, noting that minimal exposition can mask the depth of exploitation. Some critics, however, value the implied storytelling that lets viewers infer oppression.

IndieWire

*Strawberries* premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes 2026. The producers are seeking U.S. distribution to reach a wider audience.

IndieWire

Both reviews note police collusion and legal bias but give no figures on the number of workers affected or outcomes of any investigations, leaving the abuse’s scale undocumented.

The Wrap

• “She knew that she wasn’t signing up for a cushy life when she leaves Morocco and takes the job picking strawberries, but she immediately understands that this isn’t how a workplace is supposed to function at any level of the socioeconomic spectrum.” — IndieWire review

IndieWire

• “The kindest interpretation of the legal and political system that the film depicts is that these people are so utterly invisible that nobody even remembers that they’re human beings.” — IndieWire review

IndieWire

• “Based on real cases, its central figures are immigrants who’ve come to Spain to do agricultural work for which they’re promised as much as 35 Euros a day, only to find brutal conditions and constant deductions in their pay.” — TheWrap review

The Wrap

• “To work in their houses, you have to let them take advantage,” Hasna tells her friend.” — TheWrap review

The Wrap

The film’s U.S. distribution search aims to broaden awareness of migrant labor abuses and spark policy debate in both Europe and North America.

IndieWire