This 2014 Arabic-language film tells a story set at the same time and in the same place as my all-time favourite movie "Lawrence Of Arabia" (1962): it is located during the First World War in the Hijaz part of the Ottoman Empire. Indeed this new film borrows a scene from the older work to establish the narrative: an Arab boy follows an English soldier into the desert without the latter's knowledge. Both films were even shot at the same location - Wadi Rum in Jordan which I have visited - and the scenery and cinematography are spectacular.
Theeb (the name means wolf) is the name of the young boy who risks everything by embarking on an adventure greater than he could have imagined and his quiet conquest of each challenge is a moving rite of passage. Amazingly the boy who plays Theeb, Jacir Eid Al-Hwietat, has never acted before. Great credit goes to British- Jordanian director and co-writer Naji Abu Nowar for a wonderfully engaging work.
Theeb (the name means wolf) is the name of the young boy who risks everything by embarking on an adventure greater than he could have imagined and his quiet conquest of each challenge is a moving rite of passage. Amazingly the boy who plays Theeb, Jacir Eid Al-Hwietat, has never acted before. Great credit goes to British- Jordanian director and co-writer Naji Abu Nowar for a wonderfully engaging work.