“Blue Bleft” (“Le bleu du caftan”): Film Review | skin 2022

opening frames blue caftan Kiss the liquid folds and bask in the glow of the teal silk as the hands on the chest slowly emerge with the gaze, manipulating the fabric with evident love and respect. He later explains to the client that the material should glide along the contours of the body, causing it to flow smoothly. This principle is also guided by Tuzan Gently watching his characters in a film of subtle sensuality and sadness. The Moroccan screenwriter-director returns to Cannes’ “certain points of view” section three years after his well-received first feature film. AdamWith a work of even more delicacy and measure.

The slow, emotionally rich drama is notable only for the relative scarcity of rocky films in Megrelian cinema. But it’s a captivating story from any point of view, its elastic hypnotic rhythms, the strong atmosphere and prevailing silent tone, and the intimate camera that gives us maximum access to three characters who are constantly learning from each other. Actors playing these three points of a complex triangle would be no better.

In northwest Morocco, in the town of Saleh, one of the oldest medinas, Halim (Saleh Bakri, group visit) and his wife Mina (Lubna Azabal, so memorable Adam) She runs a kaftan workshop where she sews handmade clothes, disappearing according to traditions she learned from her late father.

The impatience of customers who want faster service and a large number of orders forces the hiring of an apprentice, Yusuf (newcomer talent Ayub Messiah), a quiet young man who wants to learn everything Halim teaches him about modeling, sewing and embroidery. In particular, Halim’s exquisite work in the bright blue caftan of a city official’s polite wife fascinates Joseph.

Virginie Surdej’s in-camera attention to detail in these work scenes – spools of gold thread, precision craftsmanship, real leggings, and the intricate construction of long rows of roll-loop buttons – conveys the love Halim pours into her work. Yousef’s responsibility seems to stem both from the tailor’s devoted dominance and from the unspoken but clearly reciprocal physical attraction between the two men.

“The captain must be able to outlive whoever uses it. From mother to daughter. Against time, Halim tells him. These words softly echo notions of what makes a relationship last, as well as the antiquity of hand sewing in favor of machine fabrication.

Mina, a foul-mouthed woman of Berber descent, initially encourages Joseph because her husband has more work to do than he can comfortably handle and is not prone to rushing. Previous trainees lost interest and moved quickly. But at the same time, she touts a handsome new employee who, with growing irritation, watches every look he gives Halim and every long look he gives Halim. Mina even accuses Yusuf of stealing clothes and charges him a salary, even though she has convinced Halim that he is not a thief. He’s been taking care of himself since he was 8 years old and tells Mina that money comes and goes and he doesn’t really care.

Tuzan deftly uses the wrong direction to deliver a loveless marriage between a sick ship, the details of his illness only gradually being revealed, and Halim, whose inability to suppress homosexual desires regularly pushes him into anonymous sex in the venue’s private rooms. hamam When Mina starts having sex with him, it seems to be a desperate need for love from her, which is befitting a drama drenched in homesickness.

But beneath a couple’s depressing and nearly interrupted conversations, a deep love for each other, even mutual respect, becomes evident, especially after Mina’s health begins to fail. This creates painful conflict for the silent tailor as Yusuf expresses his feelings about the intensely touching physical display in the shop and rejection by an older man forces the apprentice to quit his job.

However, when he sees that the store has been closed for a long time, Yusuf is too nice and emotionally invested to stay away. He calls the couple home and takes responsibility for the business and gradually becomes a member of their family.

It’s easy to guess where the drama is going as feelings between the three characters intensify. But Tuzan’s empty stage never follows predictable paths, even when she lives up to the hype. It is a film of absolute tenderness, with exchanges of glances or tactile moments as transitory as one hand gently touching the other. Among the most beautiful scenes is Halim, who uses a hair cup for her; Mina apologizes for accusing José of dishonesty and failed to lie even when she found out he was wrong. This reduces the young man to convulsive tears, forcing Halim to finally abandon his reserve and offer comfort.

The last section brings a devastating pain, a wave of influence that is completely accepted, noble even, as it describes in detail the depth of Halim and Mina’s mutual understanding and the roots of their marriage.

Rather than reminding Yusuf that he is an outsider in the household arrangement, these revelations offer him a deeper connection not only with Halim, but with Mina as well. And how the blue caftan acts in the conclusion, indicating the film’s solitary use of non-dialectical music, is simply beautiful. The same goes for the brief final scene, a simple image that speaks to the same elegant economy that characterizes this passionate love story.