Lubna Azabal's Amal Is, Unfortunately, An Attestation To The Omnipresence Of Religious Intolerance In This World
lubna azabal’s amal is, unfortunately, an attestation to the omnipresence of religious intolerance in this world
Contrary to what stories we tell ourselves, especially on Teacher’s Day every year, our educators, and I say this with utmost respect, are in no way perfect beings. But, every once in a while, there comes a teacher who not only imparts life’s most valuable lessons through classroom teachings and beyond, but also shapes the course of the rest of our lives. To Monia (Kenza Benbouchta), Amal was that.
Often bullied and incessantly harassed by the so-called ‘guardians of Islam’ from her class, including some of her teachers and folks of other students, Monia, a new transfer, didn’t have it easy as she was suspected to be a lesbian—a crime in the eyes of staunch believers. “Haram!” they barked. The film is a sharp, direct attack on not just the radicals and those who spread their word, it also, very subtly, brings to the forefront the universality of racism.
Looking directly into the eyes of those who divide and rule, Amal poses an urgent question: If, say, France is for white French nationals only, where do Blacks, Arabs, and every non-white person go? Jawad Rhalib has not held back on externalising his evidently pent-up frustration about religious impositions in European countries and the very-tangible racial divide between… you know who. Thank goodness for the blunt tone and treatment. About time, we reckon.
Lubna Azabal’s Amal is a feisty forward-thinking Muslim woman in her 40s, living comfortably with her white husband in a posh locality in Belgium. Set in stark contrast to her life, and bold choices, is a scared little girl who is not old enough to defend herself against the ruthlessness of a world but just enough self-aware to know she is gay. In this regard, Amal is everything Monia aspires to be.
Her choice of a partner, surprisingly, is someone her father approves of. He, an immigrant grocery store-owner looking for greener pastures in EU, now lives in a humble neighbourhood amongst members of his community, who are too quick to judge and even quicker to pass any gossip on. In every society that is built on religious division, which is rampant and ever-growing in today’s highly intolerant world, when these two socio-economically diverse backgrounds clash, an Amal is born: pushing back against the ‘pious’, ranting against the radicals, and finally punching that proverbial bully in the nose.
Staying true to the underlying purpose, the film, thankfully, doesn’t get heavy-handed in its attempt to cut the negativity out and is never overbearing in its dialogues around an inclusive school, thereby, paving the path for an all-inclusive world. The theme is clear, but it is, not for a second, shoved down one’s throat.
If I haven’t emphasised enough, Lubna Azabal is the star of this otherwise grim film. Her need to enlighten her students and not just teach them, comes off as genuine. When she is not revolting against the expulsion of a certain student or advocating for a gay poet to be taught in class, Amal is this soft, chain-smoking, wine-downing, much-in-love woman who knows where her loyalties stand and she is fiercely protective of her boundaries. Kenza Benbouchta evokes pity as someone stuck in a cruel world of preconceived notions and one-size-fits-all approach towards religion. Her quiet, restrained performance deserves a loud pat on the back; a daredevil amongst a pack of wolves I would say.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPt36-t5ivMBut, as is the case with most movements where a humungous crowd propagating hate locks horns with a select few cultivating love, Amal—to the shock of an eternal optimist; me—doesn’t end well.