Change Your Image
abdelhamouchi
Reviews
Pluie de sueur (2017)
New voice in Moroccan cinema
Sweat Rain (2017)
The idea of representations, of self and Other, has always been a concern in Arab cinema. That is where Sweat rain, an intriguing film directed by Hakim Belabbes, comes in. Empathic as it is the film opens with M'barek's struggle with drought and the eventual threat of foreclosure. The events of the story unfold with a delicate touch on the misfortunes undermining the poor farmer's household.
The journey of M'barek seemingly forms the narrative line; when, however, the film comes above ground to illustrate the character of Ayoub, an adolescent with Down syndrome, an overture to a new narrative is presented. Note that this is a core element in the formal structure of the film. Clearly, it breaks the conventional flow of dialogue and offers to depict Ayoub's gestures and probe his mind and emotions, knowing that actions say what words do not. More importantly, it characterizes the community's treatment of disability.
In tackling his subject matter, Hakim showcases the originality and complexity of this piece by downplaying the formal patterning, and establishing his own voice or form of expression. Stylistic devices, like the recurrent use of close-up shots wedded to long duration in screen time, have the benefit of allowing meditation, probing and absorbing every detail of the shots. True that slow pace is so tricky, given that wide shots with lots of visual information generally need to be on screen for longer, whereas audiences of Sweat Rain conversely linger on close-ups. It pays off, though.
One of the merits of Sweat Rain is manifested in the complexity of its formal structure. The film features more than one narrative line. As the story progresses, the juxtaposition of the shots seamlessly creates a non-linear narrative structure, which is vivid and genuinely engaging. Also the meticulous use of music can't go unnoticed. Music, supposedly supportive, is hardly heard throughout the film. Hakim's deliberate elimination of distractors, eventually offers ample chance to listen to natural sounds which evoke M'barek's attachment to his plot of land.
Abdel Hamouchi.
Kilikis: The Town of Owls (2018)
New voice in Moroccan cinema
Kilikis:Douar Lboum ( 2018)
Kilikis: Douar Lboum, or The Town of Owls is one of the most engaging feature films directed by Azlarabe Alaoui, a talented Moroccan film director. It's a visual account of a secret political prison informing a dark past in the history of Morocco, and unequivocally the Years of Lead.
It takes a lot of talent to unspool eighteen years of brutal torture over 97 minutes, yet Azlarabe subscribes to the idea that "images are meant to be seen through, not to be seen." Clearly, if we see film images merely as images, we're missing the essence of film viewing.
Douar Lboum is highly acclaimed as an emerging voice advocating for human dignity; and it's safe to say this film is unique in breaking off the "folklore" tendency that is convenient for obtaining funds as well as entertaining fake audiences. It is equally important that this film resonates with anyone who cares to promote human rights and cultural values. Moreover, in orchestrating this piece, the director excelled in documenting the atrocities of the prison and the community without losing a distinct flavor of fiction.
Set on the High Atlas Mountains in the south east of Morocco in the early 1970s, the film follows the relationships between the inmates, the guards and the villagers. The movie opens with boots and the uniform and that sets the tone for the narrative, notably when the ominousness of the prison extends to the whole community. Stricken by nature and culture, the inhabitants' collective fate takes form; and uniformity, eventually morphs the village into prison. The locals hardly realize their chains. Nonetheless, Lafkih underscores it all when he iterates "We're all in the same boat".
Lafkih, however, isn't the only one in the community who has the political awareness that the locals' rights are abused. Said, likewise, is permanently out of his comfort zone, and all his moves place his life in jeopardy. Marzouki, in turn, understandably withdraws from his social life and choses a vantage point to showcase the value of the locals' dignity, knowing that he is the first villager to oppose the prospect of turning the fortress into a secret prison. At this point, it is contestable why he wouldn't leave the village. Nobody knows. This puzzling question clearly exemplifies what R.Barthes refers to as "code of enigma". In talking about codes, a breathtaking shot whereby Lafkih looks at the face of a shrouded corpse to find out that his son Amin demised. Then the course of action changes and this may well be termed "code of actions". Also, the revelation of Amin's face is motivated by the spinning blades of the Helicopter, and this causality relation between events establishes the 'logic' which helps in meeting Brook's characterization of an effective plot.