THE PAST AND PRESENT OF THE BEDOUINS IN ELITE ZEXER’S SAND STORM

Abstract

Many reviews have been written about foreign-language winning film Sand Storm by female filmmaker Elite Zexer, presented at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. Nearly all reviewers and critics expressed their own opinion about the portrayal of the interaction between traditional Bedouin life and modern globalization. A seemingly simple statement made by one filmmaker became the basis for thousands of perspectives, interpretations, and evaluations. The parent-child relationship between Suleiman and Layla is built on mutual understanding and respect, evident from the opening scene of the movie. The unexpectedly “European” dynamic between them is disrupted by tribal intervention, leading the audience to believe in the strength of their relationship. However, the perception changes when Layla, initially driving, switches places with her father before entering their village. This action serves as a reminder to Western viewers that the film portrays Muslim reality, where women are often forbidden to drive or face severe limitations. Even the hijab is less noticeable at the beginning of the film due to the light-hearted attitude of the father and daughter. Suleiman and his daughter exchange guilty glances like conspirators when they notice some fellow villagers on the road. The film is characterized by numerous wordless episodes, vividly portraying Arab reality and conveying the movie director’s position: those who can understand will do so even without words. Similarly, Federico Fellini did not extensively explain what he wanted to convey to his audience through his films. Layla constantly finds ways to escape the burden of reality in her village. Surprisingly, no one locks the doors for her, as might be expected from her Muslim parents. On the contrary, both the front and back doors, as well as all the windows of the rustic one-story building where her family lives, are always wide open. Layla is held back by different reasons: first, respect for her father; then, her responsibility towards her younger siblings; and finally, her love for her mother. Despite being in love, she surrenders to her fate due to her moral values, choosing to sacrifice her personal happiness to secure the happiness of her family members. Layla is a brave young lady who is capable of defying societal norms. She considered eloping with her boyfriend to escape the tribal rules in her village. Despite packing her backpack several times, she ultimately decided against it. Instead, she chose to stay with her family. However, she eventually left home to avoid an unwanted marriage to someone she did not love. She drove her dad’s truck, feeling betrayed by her father’s approval of the marriage. As she approached the end of a tunnel, representing her path to freedom and happiness, the blazing sun of the desert temporarily blinded her. This climactic moment in the film highlights Layla’s extraordinary strength and resilience. In this overwhelming moment of spiritual strength, her mind is enlightened with maturity, and she finally understands the truth behind her father’s words: ‘I am not the Prophet Muhammad.’ Looking at the sunbeams of freedom, she realizes that she is not the ‘child of the Prophet’ either. She makes the final decision based on this thought. Then she weeps over the steering wheel, but this is not a demonstration of her weakness. It is at the end of the tunnel that the wise young woman realizes the reason for everything in the life of her family: the commitment of her father to remarry, the essence of her mother’s silent acceptance, the immensity of her parents’ love for each other and their daughters, the heartbreak of the second wife who is stuck in an unloved wedlock with Layla’s dad. Only then does Layla realize that her boyfriend, Anwar, waiting at the end of the tunnel, cannot be the meaning of her life, while her parents and younger sisters are. That is the reason why she pays no attention to the constant incoming text messages on her iPhone; instead, she makes a U-turn, and rushes back home with the same enthusiasm as she left her home that morning. The movie has received mixed reviews. Some viewers find the silent moments confusing and wish there were more dialogues to clarify what is left unsaid. Others are disappointed by the lack of a ‘happy ending’. Overall, the film gives the impression of peering into someone’s private life through a tinted window, leaving viewers unable to fully understand the whole picture unless they can sense it. It seems that everyone views the conflict between the community and the individual from their national perspective. Vazha-Pshavela’s epic character, Jokola, may help the Georgian audience better under stand what Elite Zexer intended to convey with her film, rather than seeing it as just hints about women’s disenfranchisement and gender imbalance. The director explains in her interview with Moviemaker magazine. Whatever is left unsaid to be understood independently based on the skills of the viewers, she fully explains in the publication. Sand Storm is a masterpiece about the Bedouins, portraying the story of a specific village, which can be applied to many other countries. Family values are still highly regarded there, and people are still willing to sacrifice personal gain for the love of their family members. This is an eternal dilemma and will remain such forever. The director spent more than ten years among the Bedouins, immersing herself in their lifestyle and customs in preparation for making this film. She befriended many locals and dedicated two years to studying the Arabic language. The Arab actors in the film underwent three months of training to master the Bedouin dialect. Before shooting Sand Storm in 2010, Elite Zexer first made a short film called Tasnim to test it with the local audience. Only after receiving a positive reaction, did she begin working on Sand Storm. This dedicated approach to cinematography proved successful, allowing the centuries-old sand covered lifestyle of the desert to be portrayed on the silver screen for the modern world audience to see, much like the emergence of the Sphinx.