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poster of The Blue Caftan
Rating: 7.3/10 by 113 users

The Blue Caftan (2023)

Halim has been married to Mina for a long time, with whom he runs a traditional caftan store in the medina (old town) of Salé, Morocco. The couple has always lived with Halim's secret – his homosexuality – about which he has learned to keep quiet. However, Mina's illness and the arrival of a young apprentice upsets this balance. United in their love, each will help the other face his fears.

Directing:
  • Maryam Touzani
Writing:
  • Maryam Touzani
  • Nabil Ayouch
Stars:
Release Date: Fri, Feb 10, 2023

Rating: 7.3/10 by 113 users

Alternative Title:
El caftán azul - ES
Plavi kaftan - BA
O Caftan Azul - BR
Túnica Turquesa - BR
Das Blau des Kaftans - DE
Το μπλε καφτάνι - GR
藍袍下的溫柔 - HK
ブルーカフタン - JP
Turkusowa suknia - PL
Turkusowy kaftan - PL
O Azul do Cafetã - PT
Голубой кафтан - RU
Den blå kaftanen - SE
雙手的溫柔 - TW
أزرق القفطان - MA
Синій каптан - UA

Country:
Belgium
Denmark
France
Morocco
Language:
العربية
Runtime: 02 hour 02 minutes
Budget: $0
Revenue: $0

Plot Keyword: bath house, male homosexuality, lgbt, gay theme, homosexual, homosexuality

Mounia Lamkimel
Blue Caftan Client
Fatima Hilal
Boutique Customer
Mariam Lalouaz
Boutique Customer
Kholoud El Ouehabi
Boutique Customer
Amira Tiouli
Boutique Customer
Hanaa Laidi
Boutique Customer
Aymane El Oarrari
Boutique Customer's Child
Ilyass El Ouahdani
Boutique Customer's Child
Mohamed Naimane
Bathhouse Employee
Abdellah Lebkiri
Man in Bathhouse
Driss Diouri
Man in Bathhouse
Abdelrhafor Essolh
Tangerine Vendor
Nourredine Aim
Tangerine Vendor
Naima Boudra
Saleswoman
Fatima Laaraj
Mortuary Washer
Kahija Toufik
Mortuary Washer

CinemaSerf

"Halim" (Saleh Bakri) lives with his ailing wife "Mina" (Lubna Azabal) and together they run a small tailoring business. Now he is a master craftsman, everything is measured, cut and stitched by hand - a fairly labour intensive and time consuming process. To help meet the demands of his impatient customers, he has acquired an handsome apprentice "Youssef" (Ayoub Missioui) who takes a keen interest in his work and demonstrates an aptitude that is increasingly appreciated by "Halim". What's also fairly obvious is that both men are attracted to each other and we now embark on a rather delicate triangle in which the two men - entirely platonically - develop their relationship under the watchful gaze of his wife whom we suspect suspects, but... It's a very gently paced film this, allowing the three strong performances from these on-form character actors to develop slowly and engagingly and though the underpinning issues of sexuality in a country that is still largely unwelcoming is part of the theme, it is not a greater a part than the observation of the couple's happy marriage nor of the creative beauty of the men's skills at creating garments of delicacy and fineness. It's a film about discovery and family and I found it worked really quite well as we navigate a myriad of challenges towards the conclusion that, like the rest of this story, is anything but simple. It's quite observational in nature, so don't expect things to rattle along - they don't, but it draws together threads of lives and choices in as intricate a fashion as any of his creations and is really well worth a watch.

RedaX*

Very mediocre and not a step-up from Meryam Touzani's first feature which was also an okay film. The relationship between the three main characters wasn't dynamic or memorable. The moments when the film was trying to go deep with the relationship of the characters or their past didn't bring us closer to the characters. And I have to say that Loubna Azabal and Saleh Bakri Moroccan dialect isn't compelling and it was a barrier between us - the audience - and the characters.


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