INSHALLAH A BOY
Genre
Drama
Running time
113 minutes
Year
2023
Language
Arabic
Subtitle
English
Country
Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, France and Qatar
Director
Amjad Al Rasheed
Bio
Producer
Rula Nasser, Aseel Abu Ayyash
Cast
Mouna Hawa, Haitham Omari, Yumna Marwan, Salwa Nakkara, Mohammed Al Jizawi, Eslam Al-Awadi, Celina Rabab’a
Scriptwriter
Amjad Al Rasheed, Rula Nasser, Delphine Agut
When Jordanian housewife Nawall wakes up to find her husband lying dead beside her, her troubles have only just begun. Bereaved and bewildered, she finds she is under attack from her brother-in-law who is claiming half her home, custody of her daughter and immediate payment of debts her husband left behind that she didn’t know existed. Her only hope is that her husband has left her pregnant – and with a boy, who will be entitled to inherit their home. Nawall is no rebel, but she will put up a desperate fight for the right to live a normal life. Mouna Hawa delivers a powerhouse performance while director Amjad Al-Rasheed turns up the tension, keeping you on the edge of your seat.
Other movies
LATE SHIFT
Director: Petra Volpe
Petra Volpe’s salute to caregivers is executed with strength and admiration. Led by a nuanced and meticulous performance from Leonie Benesch, Late Shift is an eloquent plea for compassion, as well as being a gripping story about a day in the life of a hospital worker. Floria (Benesch) is a nurse on an understaffed surgical ward, where she balances the constant demands of her patients — medical and emotional — knowing that every decision she makes (or neglects) could have fatal consequences. Floria, and Volpe’s camera, are constantly on the move to beeping monitors and crash carts in the ward’s confined quarters. As Switzerland’s Oscar submission, Late Shift delivers high drama and a sharp question: who will care for the carers?
ALL THAT'S LEFT OF YOU
Director: Cherien Dabis
This compelling family drama traces three generations of Palestinians from 1948-2022, revealing the profound impacts of the Nakba. The story begins in 1988 with Noor, a man who joins a protest that turns violent in the West Bank. Decades later his mother, Hanan, recounts her son’s story, starting with the 1948 expulsion of his grandfather from Jaffa. Amid the hardship, the family holds on to the hope of returning to their ancestral home. A love story between Hanan and her husband Salim serves as a beacon of light. Through intimate, moving performances, this film explores how trauma and heritage shape the bonds between a grandfather, a father and son, while filled with moments of joy, love and humor.
IRKALLA: GILGAMESH'S DREAM
Director: Mohamed Jabarah Al-Daradji
Nine-year-old dreamer Chum-Chum and Moody, a tough 13-year-old, navigate the harsh streets of Baghdad. Moody is obsessed with escaping to the Netherlands with Chum-Chum and his sister, Sara. Things changes when they meet Maryam, a fiery woman who has converted an old double-decker bus into a mobile school for street kids. After Maryam shows Chum-Chum an animation about the mythical hero Gilgamesh’s journey to the underworld, a new obsession takes hold. But Chum-Chum’s dream collides with a dark secret: Moody’s alliance with a ruthless militia leader and his plot to bomb protestors. Chum-Chum must now confront a brutal reality. Can one child's mythical quest save his friend, or will Moody’s dark path consume them both?