There was an excellent audience reaction to the comedic beats in the screening I attended (as well as all-too-audible thoughts from a guy in the row behind me) so the movie pushes buttons in a light-handed way that earns empathy without cheapening the conflicts and customs it represents. For those of us outside of those trappings, they serve as a metaphor. The story is very relatable. Ruba Nadda's early films had glimpses of humor, but this one is so well integrated scene-for-scene that it feels (in a good way) like Hollywood product. In fact, the trailer I saw didn't do it justice, because a lot of the charm comes from story context and the overall groove of the movie in progress. A Jewish friend I saw this movie with remarked on how she strongly identified with characters and situations which happen to be Arab in origin. The other person I saw it with found many of the family and story dynamics familiar, but it will be clear to most people that Ruba Nadda has mined these areas in a way that makes it all ring as fresh. As a screenwriter myself I suggest that the script can be studied for its briskness and conciseness and a certain fairness in the layers of conflict and consequence as each character speaks up and manages to change our own judgment a bit. But I wouldn't call this a message movie. That stuff may be a bonus. The movie is fun. And in a market that can get pretty stuffy, that is a huge accomplishment. One review referred to an "overly earnest" moment, but I way no evidence of that. The performances play as they should. Ruba has quietly made what may be my favorite current Canadian movie. To be more true to genre, I can safely say that if you liked Moonstruck, there is a good chance you will like Sabah (though it contains no disfiguring injuries nor contemplations of death as far as I recall).
Review of Sabah
