The director of 'Adam', Maryam Touzani, addresses the issue of homosexuality in Morocco, presenting the great Lubna Azabal as the wife of a tailor who sees her husband fall in love with his apprentice.
It is no secret that Morocco is one of the most homophobic places on Earth, punishing certain acts with prison sentences of up to three years. The secret, when it comes to “The Blue Kaftan” by Maryam Touzani, is that its main character is homosexual. The man, Halim, is devoted to both his religion and his wife, Mina. Together they own a vintage clothing store in the city's medina, where such stories almost certainly exist. Still, it takes equal measures of boldness and sensitivity to portray them on screen, especially from a woman's point of view.
Director: Maryam Touzani
Writer: Maryam Touzani
Stars: Lubna Azabal, Saleh Bakri, Ayoub Missioui
Halim works as a maalem, or master tailor, struggling to keep the craft alive. These days, machines do the work that craftsmen like Halim once did by hand, and apprentices are hard to find. Much of the film is devoted to this disappearing craft: Touzani admires the care with which Halim sews embroidery to the hem of a caftan, with shots of characters preparing the thread, testing the fabrics, etc. These sensual details evoke the sensation of touch, replacing the more explicit scenes found in so many LGBT-themed arthouse films. While “The Blue Caftan” isn't chaste, it's tasteful, to the point that the slow, low-key film overstays its welcome at almost half an hour.
The audience must identify with Halim, who has been forced to suppress his true identity all these years. But arguably the most empathetic character is the wife, whom Azabal imbues with more layers than the script suggests. Therefore, we think of his feelings even in scenes where Mina remains offscreen, such as when Halim sneaks off to the local hammam, where he found a way to have anonymous sex with other men. There is little satisfaction in these dates, which take place behind closed doors. But Halim quietly hopes for more when a handsome young man named Youssef expresses an interest in learning the trade.
Mina picks up on the threat almost immediately and sees her husband looking discreetly, but not discreetly enough, at Youssef's bare torso as the apprentice changes clothes in the workshop. How much does she understand about Halim's true nature? That question floats just below the surface of the film, unanswered until near the end, when Halim has an important conversation with his dying wife. The man rarely opens his mouth, although his eyes speak for him.
The public doesn't realize it right away, but Mina has been waging a silent war against breast cancer. Where the film continues, she has stopped fighting the disease, but she has not stopped loving her husband. Shared moments of laughter and affection make it clear that the feeling is mutual, even if her bed has grown cold. The film represents a turning point in her marriage, where anything could happen: Halim could be found out and the couple embarrassed. Mina could fire Youssef and ruin her husband's rare chance at happiness. Or there could be some kind of tender understanding between them, whereby the chapter shared by husband and wife comes to an end and she gives Mina her blessing before she dies.
There is also the matter of the eponymous caftan, which a client has commissioned from us for a special occasion. An ankle-length robe made of petrol blue silk, embellished with gold trim, appears to be the most beautiful garment Halim has ever made. But this time, he is not working alone. Touzani shows virtually every step of the creation, using the process as a kind of slow-motion seduction between Halim and Youssef. The teacher guides his students' hands as they cut the fabric and demonstrates the hand-stitching technique used to accentuate the hem.
The woman who ordered the caftan stops by every few days to check on her progress, but Mina doesn't like her attitude and she asks her husband not to give such a fine job to someone so insensitive. The job takes weeks and would earn them a handsome sum, but Touzani has introduced the caftan as a symbol, and it's moving to see how the film uses it at the end. The fact that Mina accepts the homosexuality of her husband does not mean that society does, of course, and there is a kind of illusion in the politics of the film. Consider the paradox facing the film's maalem: as Morocco modernizes, Halim's camp seems increasingly outdated. But as long as the country remains conservative on the issues of homosexuality, he cannot love who he wants.
Watch The Blue Caftan 2022 Movie Trailer
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