Captain Abu Raed (2007)

I will admit that the main reason I saw this was because I had never seen a film from Jordan before. Not the best reason, I know, but whatever. The first feature from writer-director Amin Matalqa, Captain Abu Raed starts off as a deceptively simple tale of an aged, reserved, and widowed airport janitor, Abu Raed (Nadim Sawalha), who finds a captain's hat in the trash and wears it home. One of his neighbors, a young boy named Tareq (Udey Al-Qiddissi), becomes convinced that despite living in an impoverished area, Abu Raed must be a pilot and persuades him to tell stories of his worldly travels to the children of the area. Abu Raed concedes after some resistance, deciding to make up tales of exotic places outside the city of Amman, Jordan, aided by his vast knowledge gained from reading thousands of books on various subjects.

Though popular with all the kids, he becomes especially close with Tareq, whose father makes him sell candy bars instead of attending school, and Murad (Hussein Al-Sous), whose alcoholic father abuses his family. He also befriends Nour, one of the pilots who flies out of his airport. Her wealthy father is obsessed with finding her a good husband as soon as possible, but she remains uninterested and independent. Abu Raed's developing relationships with these characters are explored, shedding light on the different struggles people of different ages and social positions might go through in this culture.

Captain Abu Raed starts off kind of sappy but sweet; it's slow-moving and has a few montages featuring this sort of tableau. It's not bad, just not very different from any other movie of this type. About halfway through, it takes a real turn into serious, agitated drama. It's a bit jarring and really draws it away from the "feel-good" genre, but makes for a more gripping story. I liked this second half much better than the first, but the sudden change in tone and pacing felt off. There are lots of interesting bits and subplots here, but they just aren't paced or detailed especially well. For example, I liked the character of Nour a lot, and there were a few scenes dedicated solely to her story, but nothing was really developed and it didn't seem to completely fit in with the rest of the movie.

All that being said, this is still an enjoyable and well-made film. The main character is well-rounded, and the main child actors are incredible considering they hadn't acted onscreen before. The visuals are fantastic, making great use of truly gorgeous rooftop vistas of the city and detailed, interesting interior sets around the housing complex. It seems like a good look into the culture and inhabitants of Amman, a place about which I admittedly know nothing, so its setting alone made it uniquely appealing. I just think with better pacing and a more consistent tone, this would be a more effective film. Do not heed its "feel-good family fare" premise: it gets really engaging in the second half, but not in a happy way.

3.5/5