Theeb/Wolf
***
Dir: Naji Abu Nowar.
With: Jacir Eid, Hussein Salameh, Hassan Mutlag, Jack Fox. 100 mins. Cert: 15
The Oxford-born,
Jordanian-bred filmmaker Naji Abu Nowar here tells an intimate story of
betrayal and survival in a wide-open space, while rewriting an especially
contentious chapter of movie history. During WWI, a young boy in a Bedouin
encampment (Jacir Eid) grows curious about a blonde-haired, blue-eyed
Englishman (Jack Fox, with decidedly Lawrentian mien) who’s appeared from
nowhere with a trunkful of gold. Subsequent events are observed not from the
perspective of the white male empire builder, but the vulnerable child: this
enforced naivety places certain plot elements beyond our immediate reach, but
also allows other developments to hit us with an entirely unexpected force. The
narrative meanders a little along the way to the chastening punchline, but Eid
proves a dolefully expressive lead, and Wolfgang Thaler’s ever-eloquent
camerawork is as fascinated by the discovery of bullet shells in the sand – a
clue, and a warning – as it is by the punishingly craggy landscape.
Theeb/Wolf is now playing in selected cinemas.
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