A wonderfully intimate foreign film set against a lovely backdrop & shot on location in Jordan. We have a small cast inside a focused story and captured by some lovely cinematography. The unfolding sage is seen through the innocent perspective of a young boy who becomes involved in something of an adventure. Some critics have described the genera as a sort of Arabic Western and I can see why. Washed out colours make up most of the costumes white cotton, browns, and the faded colours of the WWI khaki uniform, this makes the red blood even more striking and distinct when it appears. Theeb the boy finds his quiet simple life turned on it's head by the arrival of a stranger from afar with his strange gadgets and mechanical toys. I suppose the sound and image of the train throughout the film symbolises the end of the old traditional way of life and the beginning of a new modern future full of uncertainty. The film also uses members from the local community rather than professional actors. The movie also really captures the unpleasant aspects of the desert, the heat, the flies, I read that temperatures on location regularly went well over 40 degrees while filming. I appreciate them not doing this against green screen or on a sound stage because the results always look inferior.
