Theeb marks the beginning of two different yet equally important things. Firstly it’s the directorial debut of Naji Abu Nowar which marks him as a talent to keep an eye out for in the future, and secondly it’s the first Jordanian film to receive an Oscar nomination. Against stiff competition such as Son of Saul and Mustang, Theeb is the kind of smaller in scope yet perfectly realised film that deserves the attention it’s getting.
Set on the dune sea of the magnificent Wabi Rum desert (in English known as ‘The Valley of the Moon’) Theeb takes place in 1916 on the far reaches of the First World War. Newcomer Jacir Eid Al-Hwietat stars as the titular character Theeb (in Arabic the name translates to ‘wolf’) living the nomadic lifestyle of a Bedouin tribe in some forgotten corner of the Ottoman Empire. One night a stranger walks in from the darkness wearing the uniform of an English officer (Jack Fox, the film’s only professional actor) who brings with him the complications of the war to this remote village. Theeb’s brother Hussein (Hussein Salameh Al-Sweilhiyeen) agrees to escort the Englishman across the desert which has become the hunting ground of mercenaries. Tagging along behind them this small boy is brought into situations far beyond his control or understanding.
This deceptively simple story is both complex and never predictable and it’s told with a level of understatement that marks Englishman Naji Abu Nowar as a talent to watch. The level of authenticity is amazing; most of the cast were non-professional actors who actually live this nomadic lifestyle. Jacir Eid Al-Hwietat was an amazing find, playing the little boy with both a wide-eyed innocence about the terrible things that are happening around him and yet bringing to the role knowledge of this culture that adds so much to the role. It’s doubtful whether we’ll ever see any of these actors again but if they only ever make the one film it’s one they can all be very proud of.
Not since Lawrence of Arabia has the desert been so beautifully captured on screen. German cinematographer Wolfgang Thaler captures this unforgiving land in all its dry and desolate majesty in widescreen photography that begs to be seen on the big screen. The desert is essentially a void; there are massive amounts of absolutely nothing. Think of the quote by Alec Guinness’s character from Lawrence: “There is nothing in the desert and no man needs nothing” and yet there’s something so majestic about seeing it on a cinema screen that is without parallel.
Lawrence of Arabia actually makes for a very interesting companion piece. Filming took place in many of the same locations around the Middle East and Theeb seems to be both structurally and narratively the reversal of David Lean’s masterpiece. While Lawrence used the desert to tell a huge story of the First World War on a massive scale, Theeb uses the same locations, themes and setting but pulls back to the micro level which works equally as well.
The Bedouin culture and lifestyle is so alien and yet so fascinating. It’s hard to comprehend how people have lived for millennia in one of the driest and most inhospitable places on earth, and yet it’s a culture and way of life that have been the focus of some of the best films ever made. Theeb proudly sits alongside such films as Lawrence of Arabia, There Will be Blood and to a lesser extent Mad Max: Fury Road as films that use the desert to tell sprawling and unforgettable stories. Although in limited release, don’t miss the chance to catch this amazing film on the big screen.
Theeb screens exclusively at Hawthorn’s Lido Cinemas from 25th February.
