It stars Nora El Koussour as Layla, a young Dutch woman of Moroccan background who rebels against her family and schooling to become an Islamic fundamentalist.

In addition, they were influenced by writing it during the Arab Spring and the trial of Geert Wilders, a Dutch politician known for stands against immigration of Muslims to Europe.

Whilst her mother and father are happily assimilated into Dutch culture, Layla starts to rebel and to move toward Islamic fundamentalism.

They go to a jihadist training camp in Belgium and narrowly evade being arrested by the police, before relocating together to Amman, the capital city of Jordan.

When she lives abroad in a different culture, Layla's political radicalism is tested as she struggles to adjust to a patriarchal society in which she is excluded from Abdel's meetings with other men, having been accustomed to gender equality in the Netherlands.

Mijke de Jong previously focused upon strong young female characters in films such as Bluebird, Katia's Sister and Joy.

The young couple would sometimes visit Morocco, and on their final trip, the man disappeared for several weeks, returning as an Islamic militant who had shaved his beard off in preparation for a suicide bombing.

[5] At the time of writing, the Arab Spring was underway and in the Netherlands, Geert Wilders was on trial for inciting hatred against Dutch Moroccans.

[11] Variety noted that the film came at a time when Islamophobia was on the rise in Western Europe and wrote that "El Koussour and Addab share a gentle chemistry that curdles into romantic tragedy".

[12] Screen Daily observed an "intelligent approach to complex matters", highlighting the cinematography of Danny Elsen and El Koussour's star performance.

[14] The Hollywood Reporter criticised aspects of the film such as the narrative and the development of supporting roles, whilst also praising its topicality and the location work in Jordan.