A story can spread rapidly in a community, changing and evolving in a way that can make it difficult to separate fact from fiction. In the old, congested, and poor neighborhoods of east Amman, one secret affects the lives of the community’s colorful inhabitants and bring unintended consequences.
The story begins with Ali, a street hustler with the facade of a businessman working for an American company, who spends his nights not in an office but luring tourists and the rich to nightclubs where he gets a commission. Ali represents the frustrated male youth who desperately strives for the respect of success, but deep down hides the insecurity of his inadequacies behind the lies he spins. When Ali’s two lives start to encroach on each other, he is faced with the repercussions of the house of cards that he has built in service of his ego.
Along with Ali’s “business” dealings, he has a hidden romance with Lana. Lana works at her mother Aseel’s salon, where the women are gossiping and matchmaking for their sons and daughters. Lana’s naiveté blinds her from seeing past Ali’s lies, and their love for each other leads her to disregard her protective mother’s wishes; though eventually, she grows suspicious of Ali, realizing his deception. Lana develops her independence by finding the courage to carve her own path beyond the control and manipulation of those around her.
Aseel’s overbearing control of her daughter stems from her troubled past experiences with love, after leaving Lana’s alcoholic father to start her solan and raise Lana alone. Aseel, like any parent, is motivated to protect her child; believing she knows what’s best for her daughter, she is not above deceiving Lana to make sure she does not make the same mistakes. Soon Aseel’s manipulation strains their relationship and only pushes Lana further away.
Ali and Lana’s relationship comes to light when Aseel is blackmailed by a mysterious figure threatening to release the secret. She turns to the local ruthless kingpin Abbas and convinces him to help her put an end to the threats and save herself and Lana the embarrassment, while also asking him to keep Ali away from her daughter.
We get a glimpse into the criminal underworld in which Abbas holds a prominent position. Figures like him are known to everyone in the neighborhood, and the local establishments even give them a cut in their profits or lest they be made an example of. Because of Abbas’s power and influence, people like Aseel go to him to take care of their problems, but his brutality can often be worse than the initial trouble.
When Abbas confronts Ali to stop contacting Lana, Ali questions why this issue is any of Abbas’s business, which prompts a beating at the hands of the mob thugs. After the attack, Ali’s friend Bahaa tries to counsel him on moving on from the hustler lifestyle, asking him why he does not work a respectable job like taking over his aging grandfather’s store. Ali says he has bigger aspirations and rejects a future of being stuck in the same neighborhood for the rest of his life. Bahaa is an honest man who grew up with Ali, taking a different path to run his own barbershop and does not share Ali’s shame about where they come from.
When the community starts to question the legitimacy of Ali’s public persona, Bahaa steps in to protect his reputation and family, showing the depths people are willing to take to protect the ones we care about and the lengths they are willing to go for the sake of reputation and honor.
As the film unravels, the hidden secrets of the community prove to be stranger than any fiction told in gossip, and its conclusion reflects on the little narratives people tell to maintain the status quo and reveal only the parts of our lives we want people to know.
The direction and cinematography capture the close quarters of the city’s streets and alleys, building out the world that connects the lives of the characters and the community. The film blends crime drama, mystery thriller, and dark comedy in a commentary on the hidden lives we separate from our public persona, and the lengths some are willing to go to keep skeletons from pouring out of the closet. The film has received nominations for eight awards, including the Red Sea International Film Festival’s “Best Feature Film,” and the Critics’ Awards for Arab Films in “Best Actor,” “Best Director,” and “Best Screenplay.”
Discussion Questions
- What does the film’s say about the importance of honor and reputation in Arab society?
- When are lies harmful and when can they be necessary to protect those we love?
- What do you think of how each character’s ending fits the narrative? What messages or lessons do you think the director was trying to offer?
- After watching the film, what is your evaluation of how the director’s storytelling was able to connect all of the stories of the characters?