Nine-year old Lamia (Baneen Ahmed Nayyef) gets her name pulled out a hat in class, meaning she is appointed to bake the cake in honour of Saddam Hussein’s birthday. As the Iraqi people are suffering food shortages and general poverty under the dictator’s crushing regime, getting the basic necessary ingredients (baking powder, eggs, sugar and flour) will prove to be quite the ordeal, indeed. However, the alternative is unthinkable and so the young girl embarks upon an adventure accompanied by her rooster Hindi and her deeply-wrinkled and less than enthused Bibi (Waheed Thabet Khreibat).
What a promising feature debut from writer/director Hasan Hadi. Paired with cinematographer Tudor Vladimir Panduru, he has crafted one of the best-looking films I’ve seen all year. The title card is preceded by one of many gorgeous shots of sunshine reflecting on the stunning river beds at various times of day. There are scores of incredibly stacked compositions with multiple layers perfectly aligned revealing tons of activity in the background making the world feel authentic and lived-in. The filmmakers showcase impressive coordination too though I imagine perseverance and a bit of luck will have factored in as well (like with the comedic poultry performance and the human actors playing off of that). It all just seems to have been timed precisely so that a dialogue ends right when a car is pulling into the shot. Or the camera pans exactly when fighter pilots are flying over. Or as a parade is passing by. Or a cat crosses the street or something like that. I presume there’s some cinema magic at play but it’s very well done and impressive nevertheless.
The inspired photography is a feast for the eyes and would have in and of itself made this a great film for me. It is further elevated to top-tier levels, however, by a haunting score and a consistent tone nicely balancing the youthful energy of the strong-willed and courageous characters with the sombre almost absurd sociopolitical context. For the most part it’s funny and playful, but there’s plenty of room for some touching drama and a couple of truly infuriating scenes as well. All of it rests effortlessly on the little shoulders of the young lead who gives an absolutely magnificent performance. Bravo, little lady.
