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‘Hobal’ Review: A Family of Nomads Is Unsettled by the Future in Dynamic Drama
A case of the measles paralyzes a tradition-bound Bedouin clan in Abdulaziz Alshlahei’s emotionally complex yet sometimes overwrought third feature.
There is a bitter irony at the heart of Abdulaziz Alshlahei ’s dynamic third feature “ Hobal,” which follows a family that has long sought safety in the desert, led by Liyam (Ibrahim Al-Hasawi), a patriarch carrying on a Bedouin tradition by living at a remove from civilization. The quieter and more conscientious Battal would clearly be better suited to take care of the family if his self-confidence hadn’t been dashed after the embarrassing rejection of a marriage proposal by a potential father-in-law, and Liyam’s more volatile son Shannar (Mishal Almutairi) would relish a seat at the head of the table, but has no natural paternal instincts, showing little concern for Rifa despite her being his daughter. Cinematographer Mahmoud Youssef and production designer Adel Alshahrani buy time for Alshlahei and writer Mufarrij Almajfel to lay the groundwork for all the relationship dynamics at play, distracting audiences with how visually engaging the film is.
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