Maryam Touzani, the Moroccan writer-director, returns to Cannes’ Un Certain Regard three years after her well-received debut feature, Adam, with a work of even greater tenderness, which tackles some taboos issues.
The emotional drama should land attention if only due to the paucity of queer films in Maghreb cinema.
But this is compelling storytelling, its supple rhythms hypnotic, its atmosphere potent and its prevailing hushed tone and intimate camerawork offer access to three characters who are studying one another.
In the Moroccan city of Salé, Halim (Saleh Bakri, The Band’s Visit) and his wife Mina (Lubna Azabal, known from Adam) run a caftan shop where he hand-sews garments, a tradition learnt from his late father.
The impatience of customers wanting faster service and the backlog of orders necessitate hiring an apprentice, Youssef (newcomer Ayoub Messioui), a young man eager to learn about pattern-making, tailoring and embroidery. Halim’s elaborate work on a splendid blue caftan for the wife of a town official fascinates Youssef.
The attention to detail of Virginie Surdej’s camera–the golden thread, the precision needlework, the regal braiding, the intricate construction of long rows of Rouleau loop buttonholes –conveys Halim’s love for and pride in his trade.
Youssef’s attention is driven as much by the tailor’s dedicated craftsmanship as by the unspoken but mutual physical attraction between the two men.
“A caftan must be able to survive the one who wears it. Pass from mother to daughter. Resist time,” Halim tells him.
Mina, a plainspoken woman of Berber origin, encourages Youssef, due to husband’s heavy workload. We learn that former apprentices have lost interest and moved on quickly.
But she watches carefully and nervously the handsome employee’s gaze at Halim and lingering glance that Halim returns.
Mina accuses Youssef of stealing fabric, docking his pay. Having taken care of himself since he was 8, he tells Mina that money comes and goes and makes little difference to him.
Touzani depicts a loveless marriage between sickly Mina and Halim, whose inability to suppress his gay desires steers him to anonymous sex at the local hammam. When Mina initiates sex with him it’s more like a desperate need for affection.
But beneath the married couple’s stilted conversations, deep reciprocal love, even mutual gratitude, becomes clear, especially once Mina’s health declines. This creates painful conflict for the taciturn tailor when Youssef reveals his feelings in physical display in the store; the older man’s rejection causes him to quit.
However, Youssef is too kind to stay away. and he assumes responsibility for the business while gradually becoming member of their family.
This is a tender film, manifest in exchanged glances or tactile moments as fleeting as one hand lightly touching another.
Rather than reminding Youssef he’s an outsider in this menage, the revelations offer more profound connection, not just to Halim but also to Mina.
The brief final shot is a simple, soft, and elegant image that characterizes entire love story.
Director: Maryam Touzani
Screenplay: Touzani in collaboration with Nabil Ayouch
Cast:
Lubna Azabal, Saleh Bakri, Ayoub Messioui
Running time: 118 minutes
