There’s every reason to celebrate the completion of any Yemeni feature, given the pummeled country’s horrific ordeal since the civil war began almost a decade ago, but The Burdened is far too strong a film to be saddled with merely a pity prize. In his second feature, director Amr Gamal (10 Days Before the Wedding) presents a clear-eyed look at what life is like in war-torn Aden, where a formerly middle-class couple barely able to feed their family try to find a doctor willing to perform an abortion. Shot by Mrinal Desai (Court) in a deceptively straightforward style that adds a heightened feeling of authenticity, the film is a rigorously controlled, moving evocation of a family exhausted by the difficulties of keeping it all together. The Burdened deserves a prominent place in festival lineups and could see some art house play.
For centuries Aden was one of the world’s key ports, but now the city struggles to function, torn apart between warring factions to the point where residents don’t always know whose troops are patrolling the streets. The film is set in October 2019, when Ahmed (Khaled Hamdan) anxiously waits for his salary to be paid by his former employer, the Aden TV Channel. To cover expenses, he’s driving a mini-van, but it barely earns enough to feed his wife Isra’a (Abeer Mohammed) and their three children. Things have gotten so bad they’re forced to move from their pleasant apartment to a crumbling, dark cement shell that frightens the kids despite Isra’a’s efforts to reassure them.
Amidst all this, Isra’a is pregnant. Ahmed wants her to have an abortion, referencing the Grand Imam of Al Azhar’s declaration that a fetus doesn’t have a soul until it’s 120 days old. She’s still terrified it’s haram, but knows there’s no way they can afford another mouth to feed, and both husband and wife are uncomfortable with the handouts being offered by concerned friends and family together with the dictum that all children are a blessing. Isra’a’s close friend Muna (Samah Alamrani) is a doctor, but she’s observant and categorically rejects the idea, as does the officious Dr. Niveen (Fatema Adulbqawi).
As desperation sets in the couple go to the hospital to try to convince Muna, who holds firm, but her secretary Hend (Shahd Algonfedy) overhears and arranges an undercover procedure. It’s a testament to the subtlety with which Gamal handles the situation that he doesn’t show that interaction: certain things are implied, without the need to spell everything out, and Hend’s knowing air, both kind and efficient, are enough to make us understand. Muna gets wind of it though and has to choose between her deeply held faith and her love for a friend in need.
The sensitivity accorded to Muna’s religious crisis is given the same respect as the family’s impossible situation, which the director-writer shrewdly contextualizes in small scenes that reveal the city’s economic and structural instability together with the impact all that has on the couple’s frayed nerves. What comes through so strongly throughout the film is their sheer exhaustion: Ahmed’s stress and sense of inadequacy have brought him to the brink and make his temper flare, while Isra’a’s need to stretch out the few cents they have while keeping her children happy is leading to despair. When he cracks and hits her, for the third time in their marriage, she makes it very clear she will never allow that again –Isra’a is worn down but she’s not an obedient handmaiden.
The naturalism felt throughout the film has almost a Romanian feel, from the excellent performances to the unfussy mise-en-scène, where Desai’s unobtrusive, ever-observant camera frames each scene so that the battered city casts a pervasive hold on the characters. At the start we’re told this is based on a true story, which undoubtedly is true, but The Burdened surpasses that information, too often announced in order to convince an audience that what they see is real. This is real, and true, and like Yemen herself, deserves our attention.
Director: Amr Gamal
Screenplay: Amr Gamal, Mazen Refaat
Cast: Khaled Hamdan, Abeer Mohammed, Samah Alamrani, Awsam Abdulrahman, Shahd Algonfedy, Islam Saleem, Roaa Al-Hamshari, Omar Elyas, Fatema Adulbqawi, Ruaida Rubaih
Producers: Mohsen Alkhalifi, Amr Gamal
Co-producers: Amjad Abu Alala, Mohammed Alomda
Cinematography: Mrinal Desai
Production designer: Asim Abdulaziz, Tamim Mohammed
Costume designer: Saleh Alkatheri
Editing: Heba Othman
Music: Chen Mingchang
Sound: Rana Eid, Rawad Hobeika
Production companies: Adenium Productions (Yemen), Station Films (Sudan), Red Sea Fund (Saudi Arabia), MAD Solutions (Egypt), in association with Films Boutique
World sales: Films Boutique
Venue: Berlinale (Panorama)
In Arabic
91 minutes
