Starring: Lubna Azabal, Saleh Bakri and Ayoub Missioui
Distributor: Potential Films
Runtime: 122 mins. Reviewed in Jun 2023
Reviewer: Peter W Sheehan
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This Arab drama tells the story of a woman and her gay husband, who run a caftan store in Morocco. They take on a young man as an apprentice, who majorly affects their lives.
This subtitled drama in Arabic is a love story between Mina (Azabal) and her husband, Halim (Bakri), who are a middle-aged couple, running a small business making and selling hand-sewn caftans – a traditional Moroccan garment. Halim is the master craftsman, and Mina is the salesperson. The film was Morrocco’s submission for the International Feature Film category in the 2023 Oscars, and won the FIPRESCI prize at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.
Halim and Mina hire a young apprentice, Youssef (Missioui), who has a special talent in weaving gold thread. Machine-made caftans are anathema to Halim and Mina, as they represent a denial of Halim’s delicate artistry. Halim is an expert seamster, and he works at his own pace, but the pressures of business and his wife’s failing health loom large. Their business is struggling and they urgently need outside help. Youssef is gifted in the art of caftan making, and he is captured by the delicacy of Halim’s work. Mina realises how much her husband is emotionally affected by Youssef – Halim is gay, and she knows that he and Youssef are physically attracted to each other. Mina also knows that Halim engages with men in the local bathhouse; she accepts his behaviour, but does not condone it. A strong relationship between Halim and Mina exists, despite the pressures of Halim’s sexual desires.
Subtly, the film exposes the different kinds of love that can endure in an unforgiving world. Halim wrestles with his sexuality. The movie doesn’t romanticise at all the conflicts facing Mina and Halim, and the relationship between them is portrayed honestly. Within the triangle of Halim, Mina and Youssef, the film displays repressed desire, love, loyalty and affection. It examines how love can be tested over time, and it explores human love that can be manifest in different ways.
Touzani has directed and co-written the film, and she supplies a highly nuanced, sensitive depiction of human connection. Mina becomes terminally ill, and acknowledges her husband’s desires without wanting to reject him. Halim and Mina have a deep affection for each other, and Halim is a husband, who genuinely cares for his wife. When the presence of Youssef complicates their relationship, it affects the lives of all three of them.
The film is directed almost like a complex, detailed human tapestry. It masterfully conveys the intricacies of human relationships in ways that effectively highlight interpersonal and cultural tensions; it portrays gay desire without denying at the same time the existence of marital love and deep affection. The themes of this film require sensitive treatment, and Maryam Touzani rises to the challenge admirably: Mina sees how artistically Halim and Youssef work together; Mina understands the desires of Halim and Youssef for each other, and Halim knows she does. The film is only occasionally explicit, and progresses to a totally unexpected and deeply affecting conclusion.
Restrained acting, excellent direction, and impressive cinematography, all combine to create a film with great emotional power. This is a stunningly beautiful film.
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