A somber but delicate portrait about everlasting love, repressed desires, artistry, compassion, illness, and finally tolerance, The Blue Caftan officially closes the last slate of international films released last year that was Morocco’s Official Submission for the Academy Award’s Best International Film. Both co-written and directed by Moroccan actress and filmmaker Maryam Touzani, which the film was selected in the Un Certain Regard section at last year’s Cannes Film Festivals. It’s effectively a domestic drama following a middle-aged married couple. Though very unconventional in its exploration of a marriage love story, The Blue Caftan makes for a very fascinating and unique experience, with Lubna Azabal and Saleh Bakri both delivering dramatically satisfying performances.
Layered in metaphors and transfixing in imagery and tone, The Blue Catlan also holds exquisite cinematography by Virginie Surdej, where the color blue reflects the introspective journeys of love that the characters embark on. The film which focuses on the marriage between a closeted Moroccan tailor, Halim (Saleh) and his wife Mina (Lubna Azabai). They both run a caftan shop in Sale. Haim is a peculiar seamster, he doesn’t have any kind of sewing machine and sews every caftan with his hands. This takes a massive amount of time for certain caftans and dresses to get completed, but he aims for perfection each time. Every garment he makes looks pristine and ravishing, replicate of a painting.
The insert shots of the fabric are elegantly shot, both Surej and Touzani allow the viewer to luxuriate in the material being tailored that rivals the work of Phanton Thread. Haim can’t prolong the garments for too long, in order to satisfy the customers Halim and Mina hire apprentice Yousef (Ayoub Missiou), who gets trained with subtle affection. Halim and Yousef develop a mutual attraction towards another, and even develop intimate feelings for each other due to their labor of love. The insert shots of their hands of Haim training Yousef are some of the most tender and inviting moments you will see. Yet Halim resists his temptations and undeniable affection for Yousef due to the love of his wife. It’s not appropriate for Halim to act upon this affection inside the shop him and his wife own.
Courtesy Strand Releasing
The film echoes Todd Hayne’s Far from Heaven on some levels. Especially how queerness is kept hidden in the confines of society. Even though Moracco is more “progressive” on many levels than some of the neighboring Middle Eastern countries, it still has a hetero-patriarchal society where gay people have to hide their sexuality. A local Hamman bath house works as a place for cleaning, but a lot of discreet sexual encounters take place behind locked doors. Halim may resist his urges of Yousef, but he has brief sexual encounters with anonymous men. Yousef’s actions are meant with no judgment, other than he lives in a society where his repressed sexuality is kept hidden, but his love with Halim is left forbidden.
In a very powerful scene, Mina attempts to get intimate with Halim, even pulling his tank top-down shoulder as if he’s being feminized as she caresses his chest. We know Halim is clearly thinking of Yousef in this scene, and the result is very understated. A more judgmental or melodramatic filmmaker would allow Halim to be caught or confronted for his closeted ways. There is something very revelatory in Touzani’s characterizations here. She allows them to be complex and yet she pulls you in with her earned character depth, where you understand their complexities and you can’t but not be engaged with them.
Courtesy Strand Releasing
The drama in the script by co-writer Nabil Ayouch unravels in the film so compassionately and it only ignites more with each passing moment. Touzani doesn’t rely on clunky flashbacks or exposition on how Halim and Mina fell in love. We know they have been married for some time. You can sense their love for one another is deep, and their love becomes a greater test once it’s subtly and slowly revealed that Mina is severely ill. She begins to get fatigued and endures harsh back pain. It’s beautifully and heartbreakingly revealed what terminal illness she has, but it’s one of the most vulnerable moments in the film once we realize the saddened illness Mina is diagnosed with. Touzani handles this without melodrama or cloying sentimentality as well, it’s more measured and observed.
This is all due to Touzani’s commanding direction where she helps guide the actors in delivering such welcoming and multidimensional performances that are never overwrought, and the drama is never minimal or downplayed. Ultimately, The Blue Caftan offers no easy outcome. But there is grace and maturity to be found with the compassionate and emotional stakes at hand in this film. This is a powerful, emotionally towering marital drama that observes the human condition without claiming to fully understand it. The film’s third act is liberating that brings an abundance of inspiration on what the power of art and love can do. I’m really eager to see what Maryam Touzani does with her next feature, this is a storyteller who has crafted a very essential film that hopefully more audiences find.
The Blue Caftan opens in limited theaters Friday, February 10th.
Looks good
Saw this film recently. Very moving story- dealing in part with gay love in a place where it is forbidden. Done very tastefully. Beautiful cinematography. The 3 leads are very good. Well deserved a spot on the international film short list.
Never even heard of this one. I’ll have to look for it then after your glowing review.
I saw this film today and agree with your review entirely. It’s a lovely, moving and thought-provoking film that, as you eloquently point out, is all the better for avoiding the dramatic pitfalls that this kind of story might surrender to in less deft hands — those big revelatory or emotional “moments”. that tend to be clunky and melodramatic The friend I went with found the film a bit too “deliberate”, but my feeling is that is exactly what the film was about, as seen in: the incredible patience and care and concentration of the master tailor. almost ritualistically presented; the sweet, loving and yet also deceptive and cautious relationship of the husband and wife,;the husband’s yearning that can be satisfied only through covert and hidden encounters; and the slowly emerging “forbidden” relationship with the apprentice, which moves forward by the smallest tentative glances and gestures. All of these things demanded a film that enacted its story and themes with quiet discretion. It’s a wonderful film.
Great review. sounds like a good love story with some complications and temptations.