NO TRAILER CURRENTLY AVAILABLE
First, the Recap:
So this is the end, then? It’s over? After all we’ve been through together? It might be sadly apparent that this line of inquiry and subsequent conclusion it tends to lead to isn’t an uncommon one when relationships are the source in question. While we strive, ideally, to make things work or at minimum have the desire TO work them out when circumstances interfere and attempt to dictate we call it quits, will we have the fortitude to stand firm and truly grab onto what we really want when it comes to that special someone? Noor (Nicole Nwokolo) and Layla (Sahar B. Agustin-Maleki) have reached this point. With one more than adamantly showing she’s done, it soon becomes not just a test of wills, wants, and needs, but of the real depth love’s hold can have when founded on shared belief and undeniable attraction.
Next, my Mind:
Shown as a part of the Pakistani and LGBTQ Programming at the 2022 DFW SAFF sponsored by Toyota USA and hosted by Jingo Media Founder/Festival Director Jitin Hingorani and Artistic Director Ambica Dev, where it had its Texas Premiere, this 13-minute short film from writer/director Fawzia Mirza, producer Andria Wilson, co-producer Shonna Foster, executive producers Sonia Hosko, Shant Joshi, Chani Nicholas, and Sonya Passi, plus associate producers Karim Ladak, Philip Kocev, and Andrew Mainprize utilizes a “Memento”-style approach to illustrate the deconstruction of two women’s relationship and the future it may or may not hold while setting it to a vocally-provided backdrop that highlights each segment via the five stages of the Muslim “salah” or required prayers, adding a uniquely nuanced tone and meaning to the situation at hand. The film in itself was one of three overall efforts Mirza and Company brought to the table, the other two being the second LGBTQ-themed dramedy “The Syed Family Xmas Eve Game Night” and the other a flat-out hilarious comedy titled “Auntie“.
A study of ritual in relation to a queer Muslim couple and any or all of the underlying ramifications that might entail within that religion’s arena, which we are seeing filmmakers addressing more and more in this contemporary age, the narrative sees an emotionally volatile “beginning” that then begins to unfold in a manner that specifically chooses to highlight the key moments in the couple’s coming together while we hear the prayerful offerings involved with the aforementioned “salah” and its primary steps: “Fajr”, “Dhur (or “Zuhr”), “Asr”, “Maghrib”, and “Isha”. What I personally found quite effective about employing this choice of thematic foundation was that the literal start of each step seemed so perfectly timed to the instance we witness showcasing where the couple stands at that time in their courtship, and it has this profound resonance to it that I couldn’t escape. It’s honestly hard for me to explain fully, as I would not remotely presume to claim knowledge of the salah and each part’s significance. I just know it really did work here to solid impact.
This critic has been very forthright, but I hope respectfully at all times so, of the fact that films dealing with this facet of sexual orientation isn’t a particular preference of mine, but more for any acts of “graphic” physical intimacy that might be portrayed simply not being the most comfortable to watch. I will be transparent that there was one sequence that did involve tastefully done yet still blatant sexuality that I could have done without, though we’re not speaking anything overtly gratuitous either, as seeing its position in the story was understandable given what was happening in the moment. But, let’s look well beyond that to the portraits of the constant give and take, the habits we notice, how we can still second guess things, the intimacies we share, the expectations held out and onto, regrets about things that have never come about in life, the exploration of personalities, beliefs, and a multitude of other factors large and small that MAKE the pursuit of love with someone both worthwhile and challenging, all which the film addresses beautifully.
I would be remiss if I was not to mention the source behind the sonically affecting “Call To Prayer” we hear throughout the film’s pivotal moments which is unequivocally atmospheric and deftly brought to life by Canadian Pakistani musician Urvah Khan, providing that also hinted-at above layer to the proceedings. While the usual is to highlight each primary actor in and of themselves during my reviews, I must confess that watching this effort here was a deeply tandem process that relied on both actors being in synch with each other in, what I feel anyway, was a precise and well-grounded way so as to better bring forth the concepts being conveyed while still making it all something that could transcend the base themes, and I believe they did a superb job in this. Both Nwokolo and Agustin-Maleki exude the kind of passion, bravado, vulnerability, and intense-but-not-overplayed emotional states these characters are confronting via the roles of Noor and Layla.
Two Muslim women trying to ascertain what the continuation of their relationship may mean or even IF it holds any value anymore, Noor and Layla’s journey is seen through a tour of important junctures they’ve experienced and how each lead to the other. Whether they have something that could manifest into that “forever” echelon of absolute commitment, regardless of what they’ve just done and had come through to the starting point we see, still remains in question. It’s actually quite a touching story on several levels in its candid approach to the elements involved with coming to know someone and what we’re willing to do to make it work, and both Nwokolo and Agustin-Maleki embody this stormy yet romantic journey with a solid level of poise and grace, not remotely sacrificing plausibility for the sake of something that just “feels good” for us as the viewer, since isn’t it a truth that REAL life isn’t THAT smooth as it so often depicted!
So, in total, while admittedly this wasn’t one of my overall favorite offerings seen at DFW SAFF 2022, “Noor & Layla” still presents itself with a strong set of convictions and purpose behind its execution and an unflinching addressing of the LGBTQ-based foundation it resides on while presenting an exercise in just how much relationships can be both a burden and, hopefully more prominently, one of THE greatest things to put everything you have into in order to share an abiding connection, adoration, and fidelity that will rise above any belief but still honor it as well.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
