Courtesy of Berlinale © British Broadcasting Corporation and Monegram Ltd
VERDICT: A teenager navigates the social pressures of school and the expectations of family in this thoughtful coming-of-age drama about personal desires and dislocated grief.
Life is not at all fair on Muna.
Of course, life is not fair to many cinematic teenagers. They often find themselves bristling against the authority of their parents who are unable or unwilling to allow them the freedom they so desperately crave. In the case of Warda Mohamed’s excellent short Muna, the eponymous protagonist’s longing is to accompany her school friends on a trip, but such a request is complicated not only by her mother and father’s general reluctance but also by the passing away of her maternal grandfather back in Somalia.
Mohamed’s screenplay uses this simple narrative conflict to craft a quietly probing portrait of an immigrant family and the complexities of expectations defined by both generation and gender. Muna’s desire to go on the trip may be frivolous but is, to some extent, about autonomy and the need to integrate which all teenagers are preoccupied with. On the other hand, the period of mourning that descends upon the household is one that the children – Muna and her older brother – are dislodged from, having not known the man for whom tears are being shed.
The film is anchored perfectly by a wonderful lead performance from Kosar Ali who many will remember from her scene-stealing turn in Sarah Gavron’s Rocks (2019). Here she puts on a far more subtle and nuanced show, the close-up photography allowing us to follow through her faintest frustrations and confusion. She walks the delicate line between being a good daughter for her grieving mother and playing the part of one as part of a quid pro quo exchange. Caught between two worlds, she attempts to discern her own path forward.
Director, screenplay: Warda Mohamed
Cast: Kosar Ali, Raha Isse Farah, Elmi Rashid Elmi, Ahmed Nur, Meena Mohamed, Osman Omar
Producers: Angela Moneke, Simon Hatton
Cinematography: Olan Collardy
Editing: Mdhamiri A Knemi
Music: Cassie Kinoshi
Sound design: Alex Bird
Production design: Elena Isolini
Production company: Monegram, Pink Towel Productions, Rendition Films, BBC Film (UK)
Venue: Berlinale (Generation)
In English, Somali
19 minutes
