Beneath the sun-drenched simplicity of a Saudi village, Director Tawfiq Al-Zaidi paints a story that resonates far beyond borders. Norah, his latest offering, is an artistic excavation of the internal conflict simmering within every anxious artist: the struggle between conformity and creative explosion.
Entirely filmed in the historic region of Al Ula, however the film is not confined by geography. Its philosophical symbolism finds fertile ground in the universal language of artistic yearning.
Two protagonists (played by Maria Bahrawi and Yaqoub AlFarhan), each harbouring rebellious convictions against the traditional fabric of society, grapple with the hidden embers of creativity within. The 1990s, a potent decade of nostalgia and cultural shifts, serves as the backdrop, its spirit woven seamlessly into the visual tapestry of the film.
Al-Zaidi shuns the pitfalls of didacticism.
He steers clear of bombastic social messages and the tired trope of pitting factions against each other. Instead, his focus is “the subject, not the messages,” as he tells Esquire Saudi. The 1990s, for him, are not a platform for political pronouncements, but a wellspring of artistic bounty; the era that gifted us timeless songs and stories that still echo through Saudi culture.
His artistic choices are deliberate. From the frame composition to the color palette, each element contributes to the sensory immersion in the world of Norah. But the heart of the film lies in its characters, and Al-Zaidi understands the crucial role of casting in breathing life into them.
Staring former Esquire Saudi cover star AlFarhan, he sheds his usual persona to become Nader, the city-bred teacher arriving in the cautious embrace of the village. Beneath the surface, Nader navigates his own artistic limbo, the stifled creator mirroring the restless energy pulsating within the film. It’s a departure from the roles that have cemented Yaqoub in the audience’s memory, and as Al-Zaidi admits, a deliberate one. “I took him away from what people expect,” he affirms, “a crucial step in crafting a character and molding his visual identity.”
Playing the title character, Norah, 16-year-old newcomer Maria Bahrawi brings a raw authenticity to the screen. Chosen only two weeks before filming, she became the embodiment of the soul Al-Zaidi had envisioned. As Norah embarks on her own journey of transformation, from girl to woman, Maria mirrors this evolution, adding another layer
of believability to the narrative.
The film captures the beauty of the mundane; the rhythm of village life, the quiet exchanges between characters, the unspoken dreams flickering in their eyes. Norah is not just a story; it’s an experience, an invitation to peek into the artistic furnace that burns within each of us, waiting to be stoked or stifled.
So, dive into the world of Norah, where the sunbaked earth whispers secrets, and hidden talents wait to be unearthed. This is not just a Saudi story; it’s a human story, painted with the vibrant hues of artistic aspiration and the bittersweet longing for self-expression.
Norah hits theaters this month.