(France/Morocco, 100 min.)
Written and directed by Laïla Marrakchi
Starring: Morjana Alaoui, Nadine Labaki, Lubna Azabal, Hiam
Abbas, Omar Sharif
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The dysfunctional family funeral comedy isn’t simply an
American phenomenon. The French-Lebanese co-pro Rock the Casbah comes on the heels of American flicks like August: Osage County and This is Where I Leave You, and this fun
piece of contemporary world cinema is just as good. Rock the Casbah is a fine ensemble dramedy that tells a tale that
feels both specific to the wacky characters of the wealthy Moroccan family
mourning the death of their patriarch and universal thanks to the warmth and
humour that brings the film to life.
Rock the Casbah
tips its hat to the death of the father, Moulay, played by the great Omar
Sharif, but this film by writer/director Laïla Marrakchi is really a jubilant
celebration of women as the quintet of actresses at the heart of the film offer
a funny, poignant, and lively portrait of mothers and daughters. The film stars
Morjana Alaoui as Sofia, the estranged daughter who returns to her picturesque
home of Tangiers after fleeing for a career in American movies. Sofia’s very
different from her two older sisters, the conservative and pious sister Kenza
(played by Incendies’ Lubna Azabal)
and the bubbly sexpot Miriam (played by Where
Do We Go Now?’s director/star Nadine Labaki). Family and friends mostly
draw comparisons to the fourth sister, long deceased, who’s as much of a ghost
in the room as the departed father is. Holding the family together are the
reserved, quiet mother Aicha (Hiam Abbas, The
Visitor) and Yacout (Raouia), the family maid and long-time mistress of
Moulay.
The strong performances easily drive the film as Marrakchi
lets the actors work with her humorous and talky script. Rock the Casbah, like many an ensemble film, is rather
dialogue-heavy, but the strength of the actors easily carries the story through
tumultuous moments of both heartache and humour. Labaki is especially good as
the neurotic Miriam, and Toronto audiences who voted Where Do Go Now? as the People’s Choice of TIFF’11 will appreciate the sass and humour of her comedic performance. Warm cinematography
by Robin Coudert makes this colourful pic extra sunny, but the bubbly humour of
Marrakchi’s script and the sparkling make Casbah
extra sunny.
Rating: ★★★1/2 (out of ★★★★★)
Rating: ★★★1/2 (out of ★★★★★)
Rock the Casbah screens at Toronto's Regent Park Film Festival
on Sat. Nov. 22 at 9:00 pm.
Tickets are free and
may be reserved here.
