FILM REVIEW: Eid midad Laila [Laila’s Birthday]
© A.J. Malouin 2009
(Rating: 2 by The Film Snob.)
(See our side-bar page “How Caryl & Al and The Film Snob Rate Movies”)
(2008/Palestine/Tunisia/Netherlands. Written and directed by Rashid Masharawi.)
Even in a country occupied by a powerful, oppressive army of their enemies, ordinary people have to find ways to live their daily lives. That they can do so with grace and dignity is a testimony to the power of the human spirit. That you and I can watch this grace and dignity unfold in a beautiful though occupied city is a testimony to the power of great filmmaking. Such is the journey we take during “Laila’s Birthday.”
This is a stunning film.
It is pre-dawn on the day of beautiful little Laila’s seventh birthday. A loud noise awakens her father, and the camera follows him through the family’s beautiful small apartment as he checks everything out. We fade to black and in the next set piece we see the family of three preparing for what seems to be a routine school and work day. All is serene though busy as Laila and her parents prepare for another day.
Outside the apartment, however, it’s a different story. The serenity and peace of pre-dawn gently unravels throughout the day as we follow Laila’s father on his job.
A well-connected Judge for ten years, Laila’s father has been called back to his Palestine homeland by none other than Yasir Arafat himself to serve as a judge in his own country.
Bureaucracy is rampant in the homeland, however. There seems to be a new Minister of Justice every three weeks, and with each new Minister the entire Administration changes. Amusingly, even the curtains are changed every three weeks.
Laila’s father goes daily to the Department of Justice to attempt finalization of his Judgeship. Every time he appears to be making progress, the administration changes, and he must begin over again.
Meanwhile, to earn a living, Laila’s father drives a taxi cab owned by his wife’s brother. We follow his cab-driving adventures throughout the day of Laila’s seventh birthday.
Her father’s only goal is to get through the day and arrive home by 8 p.m. with a present and birthday cake for little Laila’s celebration. As he walks out the door, his wife reminds him, “Never mind the internal situation. Never mind the external situation. Never mind The Occupation. At 8 p.m., it’s Laila’s birthday!”
Easier said than done. Throughout the day Laila’s father endures all manner of obstacles to his goal.
Predictably, his taxi breaks down. Predictably, also, items which cause problems are left behind by his taxi passengers.
Not so predictably, though, potential fares wanting to go to check-points, or those threatening to smoke a cigarette in the taxi, or those carrying submachine guns into the back seat are all turned down as passengers.
Another obstacle arises when a missile destroys a nearby automobile. Injured civilians have to be taken to the hospital. The bereaved families of the attack’s dead civilians have to be taken home.
Through it all, with dignity and grace Laila’s father attempts to secure a birthday present and cake for Laila.
There is only one set piece in which he totally loses his composure, and that entire sequence is funny, heart-warming, and poignant.
How Laila’s father manages to salvage the celebration makes for a spell-binding and rewarding film. Along the way, we are given beautiful and in-depth visions of a city that most of us will never visit.
At one hour and 11 minutes, the pacing of “Laila’s Birthday” is perfect. If you are in the metro Detroit area on the weekend of October 24-25, be certain to take time to see this film at the Detroit Film Theatre.
Otherwise? Put it on your list of Must-See rentals when it becomes available on DVD.
“Laila’s Birthday” is a stunning film.
(1 hr 11. Not rated in the USA. In Arabic, with English subtitles in the USA. With Nour Zoubi as Laila, Mohammed Bakri as Laila’s father, and Areen Omari as Laila’s mother.)