Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 1: Palestinian director Rashid Masharawi's Laila's Birthday will be the inaugural film in the International Filim Festival of Kerala (IFFK), which will began here from December 12.
In his new feature film, Laila's Birthday, director Rashid Masharawi paints a bittersweet picture of life in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
There, Masharawi's main character, Abu Laila (played by the legendary Palestinian actor Mohammad Bakri), struggles to make ends meet as a taxi driver while attempting to get a license to work as a judge from the bureaucratic Palestinian Authority.
Laila's Birthday follows a day of Abu Laila's life, taking the audience on a journey of absurdity in a place where Israeli soldiers may not be present (not a single Israeli soldier is seen) but where the occupation leaves chaos in its wake, and where petty lords enjoy sumptuously decorated ministry offices.
Abu Laila's day starts off when he is awoken by the loud crash of breaking glass. He inspects his house where everything appears normal, but the dissonant soundtrack reminds us that appearances are deceiving. Indeed, when Abu Laila pulls out of his driveway in his yellow taxi, Ramallah is tranquil, even beautiful. However, as Abu Laila's day grows more and more complex (though his purpose that day -- to buy his daughter a birthday cake and gift -- is anything but complicated), we see how illusory peace in Ramallah really is.
--- UNI
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