As co-directed by brothers Swad and Imad Noury (and produced by their mother, Pilar Cazorla), The Moroccan picture Heaven's Doors (2005) employs an episodic narrative, with three related substories presented sequentially. The Nourys shoot the episodes in distinct cinematographic styles (and with distinct overtones) suited to each tale, recalling Humberto Solas's masterpiece Lucia (1969).
One day Zano suggest a crazy idea to his companion Naïma: travel across France and Spain down to Algeria, where they might ultimately come to know the land their parents once had to flee.
The film is about the suffering of a mother with one of her sons who asks her to sell the family home, one of the traditional old houses, to repay his debts, but she categorically refuses to bow to his request in favor of the "commandment" of her husband, who recommended before his death to keep the house.
Mona, a young Parisienne, learns that her real father is Moroccan. The only traces of his existence are a name, Mahmoud Saber, a black-and-white photo and a love letter to her mother. She decides to set off for Morocco in search of this man, whose existence turns out to be enigmatic, on a journey that takes her from Casablanca to Essaouira and turns into a journey of discovery.