Film: Bekas

By Nicholas Davies

Films that look at the world through the eyes of children (as opposed to films made specifically for children) are a time-honoured tradition – think of cherished movies like ‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1939), ‘The 400 Blows’ (1959), ‘My Life as a Dog’ (1985) and ‘Children of Heaven’ (1997). Last year’s DTFF selections included several recent films that make use this narrative structure – ‘Playground Chronicles’, ‘Thursday Till Sunday’ and ‘What Maisie Knew’ (all 2012).

We can all identify with the experiences of childhood, of course, making a child’s point of view a universal entry point into a story. But this universality is not to be confused with simplicity – the story of a young person can provide a powerful metaphor and a very complex consideration of society. Putting the audience in the more or less ‘innocent’ place of a child character also allows a director to allude to some of life’s difficulties and complications and to explore their effects without becoming distracted by didactic discussions of politics, history or social structures.

DFI’s Arab Voices series continues this weekend with a pair of recent films, both of which have kids as their central characters. Haifaa Al-Mansour’s ‘Wadjda’ returns for an encore screening after its recent exciting presentation in our Hekayat Khaleejiya series. It’s the story of a young girl who finds that just about everything she does – or wants to do – is subject to the restrictions of Saudi culture. Perhaps the film’s greatest success is that it resonates well beyond national borders, speaking to anyone who has ever wanted to express themselves in a world that has a lot of seemingly arbitrary rules.

In ‘Bekas’, director Karzan Kader tells the semi-autobiographical tale of two boys who decide to leave Iraqi Kurdistan to go and live with Superman. In America. By means of their donkey (whose name is Michael Jackson). This endearing premise plays into the familiar childhood fantasy of escaping ordinary life – audiences will doubtless laugh along with the boys’ adventures, but at the same time are sure to absorb some of the horrors of life under the oppressive regime of Saddam Hussein.

For more information on the Arab Voices screenings, please click here.