Biyografi Dünyası
The Blue Caftan (Le Bleu du caftan)

The Blue Caftan (Le Bleu du caftan)

Movie · 2022 · 3 people

Moroccan filmmaker Maryam Touzani wrote The Blue Caftan (released in France as Le Bleu du caftan) with Nabil Ayouch and directed this relationship drama, completed in 2022. It is a co-production between Morocco, France, Belgium and Denmark, spoken in Arabic and French, about two hours long. Its quiet narrative deals with silence, identity and marriage.

The story is set in the medina of Salé, one of Morocco's oldest cities, around Halim, a traditional caftan tailor played by Saleh Bakri, and his wife Mina, played by Lubna Azabal. Unable to keep up with demanding customers, the couple take on a talented young man, Youssef (Ayoub Missioui), as an apprentice. Mina gradually notices how strongly her husband is drawn to him; Halim's homosexuality is the couple's shared secret, and the balance among the three slowly shifts.

The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2022 Cannes Film Festival and won that section's FIPRESCI Prize. It played at the Toronto festival, took the best director prize in Chicago, and Lubna Azabal won best actress at Seminci. The Moroccan Cinema Center chose it to represent Morocco at the 2023 Oscars, where it became the first Moroccan film shortlisted for the International Feature Film award.

DirectorMaryam Touzani

Reactions

You can pick up to 3 reactions.

Cast

Names without a link have no profile here yet.

More from this director

Through different eyes

AI-assisted editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives. They are not reader reviews; those are below.

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Maryam Touzani's direction trusts silence as a storytelling tool: looks, handiwork and place do more talking than dialogue. The tailor's workshop in the medina of Salé makes an ideal closed stage for watching the balance among three characters slowly shift. Lubna Azabal's best actress prize at Seminci feels like due recognition for the inward performance that carries the film. Even so, this heavy, measured rhythm is not sustainable for every viewer; in places the silence stalls the story instead of deepening it. A skillful, patient film, but not one for anyone after a fast-moving drama.

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

The film tells of a hidden identity from inside a marriage and never turns it into a loud message picture. Its setting in the medina of Salé, one of Morocco's oldest cities, matters: traditional caftan tailoring, handed from master to apprentice, raises the question of what a changing society preserves and what it keeps hidden. The secret Halim and Mina share makes visible the gap between private life and social expectation. The mix of Arabic and French is a small sign of the country's layered make-up. A thought-provoking example for anyone curious about what marriage carries, and what it silences, in a traditional society.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humor and heart.

This is an adult drama. It deals with marriage, a kept secret and homosexuality, so it is not one to watch with children. The storytelling is quiet and slow, and teenagers hoping for something lively may lose interest quickly. It suits a calm evening with your partner better. If you are thinking of watching with older children, see it yourself first.

Reviews (0)

Log in Log in to write a review.

Comments