There is a bitter irony at the core of this third film by Abdulaziz Alshlahei, Hobal, which follows one family’s search for refuge in the desert, led by Liyam (Ibrahim Al-Hasawi), a patriarch who keeps up with his Bedouin tradition of living away from society. The nomadic clan has also shifted residence at their pleasure before but this time around it is different; a thinking drama that takes place during a period when the future cannot be escaped and nor can each other.
This is the setting of “Hobal” in the Middle East six months before the 1990 Gulf War, however, it’s rather telling that Battal (Hamdy Alfridi), one of Liyam’s sons, does not even notice a breaking news alert about imminent violence on his radio as he tries to find a signal in nowhere. At the time when Rifa (Amal Sami) a teenage member of this clan has developed measles, armed conflict reports are nothing compared to family controversies brewing over possible trip to Kuwait. Liyam fights against claims that there can only be medical intervention in a city where he has always believed there was nothing else but immorality; but her sickness gives him excuses for moving elsewhere considering all signs indicating that doomsday is nigh: The drumbeat towards war mentioned above; death of his grandchild and his son Majed who left behind Assaf, Hamad Farhan’s young son.
“Hobal” risks being too much, too soon for both those on and off screen as a child is buried by her mother and a dog approaching the grave is mercilessly shot five minutes into the film. Alshlahei, while being dramatic, has to introduce each family member by name. This will make it easier to remember them because they are moving in a caravan of trucks that will leave the site of the tragedy behind. People from outside the region might think these are people who symbolize changing society Liyam has isolated himself from, but it can be frustratingly vague for uninitiated individuals. Despite this, Rifa’s problem becomes a real flashpoint for her family later in the film; moreover, as measles not only physically separates young and old but also tests their modernity attitudes (passive or active).
In the same vein, Rifa is considered an outcast among her family members while they are jam packed within their cars as a sort of quarantine. However, she isn’t alone in feeling lonely. Liyam might have been brought up to be a humble servant of God but by his family, he is seen as the one who will decide everything finally (unquestioned and elusive), which way they should go. That this burden drives him to vanish from them altogether makes sense. From that point onwards each person has to figure out what it is that he wanted people to do for him in person.
This is particularly evident as Rifa’s health deteriorates and the confident women in the family are excluded from taking the lead. His two surviving sons make for an interesting opposition, neither of whom fits well. The quieter Battal who is more thoughtful would be a better choice for running the family if he had not lost his self-assurance when embarrassed by a father-in-law’s refusal to sanction his engagement proposal, whilst Liyam’s son Shannar (Mishal Almutairi) who has a violent disposition would love nothing more than to take over his father’s seat at dinner but shows little care or regard for Rifa despite her being his own daughter.
The director of photography Mahmoud Youssef and production designer Adel Alshahrani have bought time for Alshlahei and Mufarrij Almajfel to build the foundation of all the relationship dynamics at play, in a way that distracts an audience by being visually attractive. A nicely done homestead with bright colors so that some cunning compositions are well done; one notable example is Assaf and Rifa’s two-way mirror connection which goes beyond the tent wall that separates them when she is sick. In addition to this bond between the two youngest characters, this appearance also suggests a situation where everyone older than them has failed to connect as strongly.
More specific moments of tragedy appear tied to outdated ways of thinking which the film itself opposes, whereas “Hobal” contains many instances that suggest otherwise. Hobal seems more updated than what it looks like in comparison with most parts of the movie through which they have tried to express different values clash. This idealistic incongruity can be based on factors such as age, sex or religious devotion may result into family gridlock but eventually realizing it forms part of progress.
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