Dolphins
Director: Waleed Al Shehhi
Starring: Ahmed Al Jarn, Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Khaleed Ameen
Three stars
Set in the often-bleak surroundings of Ras Al Khaimah, Dolphins tells the tale of 24 hours in the life of a young Emirati and his divorced parents.
The film, which premiered at last December’s Dubai International Film Festival having won the previous year’s IWC Schaffhausen Award of US$100,000 (Dh367,000) towards its production, hits UAE cinemas today.
Saud is not having a good time of it. His mother, a serialbride, has kicked him out of the house to make way for her newest husband, while his partially estranged, ambulance-driver father seems dedicated to offering care and support to everybody in the world except his own son.
While Saud and his best friend Hilal embark on a motorbike adventure they hope will result in seeing the dolphins they imagine, far out at sea, his father heads out into the mountains to help a man from the hospital deliver his mother’s body to their family and his mother goes about preparing for her impending nuptials.
It’s certainly not edge-of-your-seat, blockbuster fare, and nor is it supposed to be. The mood is subdued throughout, while images such as Hilal’s brace-enveloped leg, ramshackle backstreets and dusty, barren mountains are a far cry from the glitz and glamour we’re more accustomed to seeing when the UAE pops up on the big screen. The thoughtful film seeks to explore concepts such as childhood, adulthood, femininity, masculinity and family relationships, albeit through the scope of dysfunction, and touches on a fair few topics that are rarely widely discussed in conservative societies – divorce, family breakdown, disability.
The sea, too, has a vital role in the movie, fittingly for a part of the world where it has played such a huge historical role in shaping society and culture. On the one hand, it seems to offer an escape from the drab environment our heroes live in – a chance to see what beauty lies beyond. On the other, it acts as a barrier, keeping the characters in and almost daring them to take it on and learn what they might find past the ships that can be seen from the beach where Saud and Hilal spend much of their time gazing out.
If you're looking for an action-packed rollercoaster ride this weekend, we advise you to join the many who will doubtlessly keep Avengers: Age of Ultron riding high in the box-office charts for another week. If, on the other hand, you feel like spending a thoughtful 90 minutes or so in the cinema, and getting a glimpse of local life and culture that is rarely seen among the glittering towers of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Dolphins won't disappoint.
cnewbould@thenational.ae