"Captain Abu Raed" is, according to IMDb, the first full-length movie form Jordan in 50 years! Considering all the nice qualities in this one, I sure hope to see more from the Jordanian film industry--though I fear that few will actually see this film or appreciate the film's finer qualities. Sure, it does NOT have a clear ending and is far from formulaic--but there is a lot to like about the picture.
Abu Raed (Nadim Sawalha) is a nice middle-aged man who works as a janitor at the airport in Amman, Jordan. However, he's also very lonely and through the course of this film you see him forge some new relationships. It all begins when Abu Raed discovers a pilot's hat in the trash. He takes it home and a child assumes he's a captain working for the airlines. Considering how he dresses and how he lives in a relatively ordinary part of town, you wonder how the kid could believe this. He even tells the kid he's NOT a pilot. However, the next day, a bunch of kids show up at his house and want to hear about his world travels. Again, he tells them he's not a pilot. However, later he relents and tells them all sorts of stories about his supposed exploits--and regales them with stories of pure fiction. However, he's able to fake it reasonably well because although he's a lowly janitor, he's very smart and reads voraciously. In fact, he even can speak a little French and English. This is how he meets his next friend--a lady pilot, Nour (Rana Sultan). They slowly become friends--and an unlikely friendship it is. Where does all this go? See the film. Just don't be surprised it it goes no where near where you expect!
The best thing about this film are the characters, character development and dialog. The story itself has many interesting aspects but for me it's all about the characters and the nice, natural acting. This is a very gentle and sweet film--one that is perfect if you are looking for something different. Just be aware, its ending may leave you a little flat if you demand happy or clear endings.
Abu Raed (Nadim Sawalha) is a nice middle-aged man who works as a janitor at the airport in Amman, Jordan. However, he's also very lonely and through the course of this film you see him forge some new relationships. It all begins when Abu Raed discovers a pilot's hat in the trash. He takes it home and a child assumes he's a captain working for the airlines. Considering how he dresses and how he lives in a relatively ordinary part of town, you wonder how the kid could believe this. He even tells the kid he's NOT a pilot. However, the next day, a bunch of kids show up at his house and want to hear about his world travels. Again, he tells them he's not a pilot. However, later he relents and tells them all sorts of stories about his supposed exploits--and regales them with stories of pure fiction. However, he's able to fake it reasonably well because although he's a lowly janitor, he's very smart and reads voraciously. In fact, he even can speak a little French and English. This is how he meets his next friend--a lady pilot, Nour (Rana Sultan). They slowly become friends--and an unlikely friendship it is. Where does all this go? See the film. Just don't be surprised it it goes no where near where you expect!
The best thing about this film are the characters, character development and dialog. The story itself has many interesting aspects but for me it's all about the characters and the nice, natural acting. This is a very gentle and sweet film--one that is perfect if you are looking for something different. Just be aware, its ending may leave you a little flat if you demand happy or clear endings.