By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Ali Kalthami
Starring: Abo Salu | Hajar Alshammari | Mohamad Aldokhei | Mohammed Altawyan | Morouj
Original language title: Mandoob
Year: 2024
Running time: 110
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23642740/reference/
Michael says: “After making a dozen or more short films, writer/director Ali Kalthami has made his first feature film, where desperation meets opportunity, embodied by a man who spends long hours in his car, delivering a variety of products after being fired from his full-time phone service job. Other than his aging father and his entrepreneurial sister, Fahad spends much of his time communicating over the phone via text, or in brief stops between deliveries in nearly abandoned parking lots. Seeking a fast track to success, partially to support his father, Fahad makes a series of bad decisions that finds him in increasingly dangerous territory. Meanwhile, his sister Sara, turns a brief stint on a reality show where she unsuccessfully pitches an entrepreneurial food, into a new business venture. The parallel stories are fascinating in the way they are juxtaposed, and how the films focuses on the siblings relationship in the bookended opening and closing.
“Filmed in the city of Riyadh, in the heart of Saudi Arabia, Fahad’s long drives throughout the night depict a gorgeous, thriving city, with fancy hotels, thriving high rises, and dark, warehouses, and sinister loading docks. In something of a darker cousin to DRIVE MY CAR, the extended driving sequences are both beautiful and monotonous, in a way the becomes captivating. I would be remiss in neglecting to mention the film’s leading man, Mohamad Aldokhei. Known for his comedic work, his open and beguiling face and charismatic nature lend Fahad an aura of forgiveness even when he makes increasingly poor decisions. It took me about 20 minutes to figure out the tone of the film, and settle into its direction, but ultimately it was a rewarding cinematic experience. 4 cats
“Screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, Friday, 9/8”