THE BLUE CAFTAN

California Premiere


HEART | WORLD

Morocco 2022, 124 min, Director: Maryam Touzani

In Salé, Morocco, Halim (Saleh Bakri, Costa Brava, Lebanon) and his ailing wife, Mina (Lubna Azabal, Adam), own and operate a made-to-measure dress shop. Halim handcrafts caftans with an attention to detail and an eye toward durability prized by his customers. Similarly, Maryam Touzani’s film dives richly and intimately into the lives of its characters when Halim and Mina, facing a backlog of orders, take on young apprentice Youssef (Ayoub Missioui). As Mina becomes increasingly bedridden, a developing connection between the two men creates internal conflict for the mild-mannered tailor. Avoiding heated melodrama, Touzani instead sews together her story of the marital bond and an unusual romantic triangle with intimacy and great tenderness. The Blue Caftan shows the complexities and profundities of enduring love with a deeply stirring resolution and a trio of expert performances. —Rod Armstrong

In Arabic with English subtitles


Showtimes

In-Person

2:00 PM — Sequoia 1

4:00 PM — Lark Theater

Director

Born and raised in Morocco, Maryam Touzani studied journalism in London before returning to her home country to specialize in writing about Maghreb cinema. Her short films include QUAND ILS DORMENT (2012) and AYA GOES TO THE BEACH (2015), which won the audience award at the Cairo International Women's Film Festival. She made her feature debut with Adam (2019).

Film Info

countries:

Morocco

Running Time:

124

Languages:

Arabic

Director:

Maryam Touzani

Producers:

Nabil Ayouch

Cinematographers:

Virginie Surdej

Editors:

Nicolas Rumpl

Writers:

Maryam Touzani

Cast:

Lubna Azabal, Saleh Bakri, Ayoub Missioui

sections:

WORLD CINEMA

Subtitles:

English

venues:

Lark Theater
|
Sequoia 1