Synopsis: The movie follows three lives in Dubai, each person representing a prominent population in the city. First, there's the Indian taxi driver who came to Dubai for a better life. Next, we have the Eastern European flight attendant, who meets a charming English businessman and falls in love. Last, there's the story of a wealthy Local twenty-something and his best friend. All three of their stories are carried out fairly separately until they all collide (literally and figuratively) in a life-altering car accident.
Overall the film made a lasting impression. For a movie coming from the Gulf region, it's risky in content matter and for a young director's first feature film, it's a great start. It's most appealing to those who live in or know Dubai, since a main theme in the movie is capturing the character of the city. But if this movie was presented as a mainstream feature film, coming out of Warner Brother's studio, I would not be impressed.
What's cool about the film is that each story line is in a different language. The Indian taxi driver speaks Hindi, while the flight attendant speaks English, and the Locals speak in Arabic. It's not difficult to follow the film--the Director does a good job keeping these separated and the subtitles are easy enough to read. The script had its strong points, but overall, the dialogue can be a little sloppy, there were some points where the transition between topics just didn't exist, and the conversation was obviously forced.
Unfortunately, the film itself lacked transitions as well--sometimes making you wonder, "Oh wait, we're here now?"
The strength of the film comes in the storyline of the rich, young Local man, Faisal, and his not-so-rich young Local friend, Rashid. The movie exposes the audience to a side of Dubai that people have heard of, but haven't necessarily seen by representing the daily ongoings of young Local men. While their lives seem foreign to most outsiders, the film does a good job of getting the audience to empathize with these characters. With the exception of a bizarre twist in the middle of the movie, I would have liked to see their story further developed. The story of the Indian taxi driver is also a strong point for the movie. You see, in part, the wealth disparity between the South Asian population in Dubai and the rest of the people who live here. You get attached to the taxi driver named Basu, who is an aspiring Bollywood actor. Your hopes are raised with his and your dreams are shattered with his.
As a whole, the movie did cover some subjects you wouldn't expect to come out of the Gulf region. Topics included alcohol and sex--big taboos for this part of the world. There was even a pregnancy scandal (represented by the Western expats, of course) that covered ugly consequences of getting pregnant out of wedlock in this country. The movie gave some insight into the lives of Local Emirati men, particularly the younger population, and their work ethic (or lack thereof). These guys live privileged lives--sleeping all day, staying up all night, driving the fanciest cars and buying the most expensive things--without working for a cent of it. It also showed the less privileged side of Dubai, providing a quick snapshot of the lives of poor immigrant workers (mostly Indian and Filipinos). What took away from the uniqueness of the film, however, was that every cliché that could be thrown into a film was included in this one.
All the negatives aside, however, the movie is a captivating one, especially for those who are familiar with Dubai. The city is the main character of the movie, and the rest are just supporting actors. The film is Ali F. Mostafa's first feature, and I'll have to say, if this is his starting point, I'm excited to see what he can create with a little more experience.
Check out the trailer at www.cityoflifefilm.com , and if you're in Dubai, go watch the movie!
