The Blue Caftan is a cultured, quiet and calm film from Maryam Touzani, exploring a relationship between Halim and Mina, who’ve all the time lived with Halim’s secret: he’s gay. As Mina’s sickness and the arrival of a brand new apprentice upends the best way issues have been. Change occurs – with the every the opposite reckoning with their fears.
It’s a movie about emotion, about ache; a couple of love that can’t be displayed publicly. Hidden disgrace; guilt – dying, the exploration of Halim as a noble man but being compelled to cover a part of himself is an enchanting character examine that actor Saleh Bakri deploys with tenderness and expertise that brings out the susceptible facet of the character. Opposite Lubna Azabal, who shows a hidden sense of tenderness – The Blue Caftan hits all its emotional vulnerabilities with out the have to be showy or have a giant; shouty confrontation: it’s all concerning the smaller moments that give the movie a lot of its coronary heart.
Beautifully shot from begin to end; and largely simply contained to a small collection of choose places, this movie maximises the fervour and unruliness of all of it while avoiding dashing to its ending. It exhibits the significance of uncommon artwork; the specialist topic of crafting caftans is dying out. The apprentice that Halim hires – Youssef, comes onto the scene in a manner that rivals Halim’s quietness – they’re two comparable personalities, and the movie builds on the moments that they share. The two develop nearer as Mina’s sickness worsens, and the gradual acceptance of her destiny offers the movie a lot of its quieter edge – it’s not in a rush to get the place it’s going however that’s solely an excellent factor. There’s sufficient room to make this a movie with extra heightened pressure ought to it want; however The Blue Caftan could be very a lot one thing that feels mature sufficient to not be dragged right into a typical narrative.
If you desire a movie centered on the peculiar; day-to-day of all of it, The Blue Caftan will probably be your jam. It delights within the peculiar, a feat that the majority movies rapidly attempt to brush over or keep away from, and it’s such a present – led to with as a lot persistence as Halim creates his caftan.