Omigoodness. Tonight’s film was as good or better than last night’s (Sin Nombre), which was better than the night before’s (Paris, je t’aime), which was better than the night before that (The Band’s Visit) — and that first one was terrific.
Via DVD from Netflix tonight I watched Captain Abu Raed, a 2007 film made in Jordan, in Arabic with English subtitles. Abu Raed is an elderly widower who works as a janitor at the Amman airport. Neighborhood children mistake him for a pilot — a captain — when he retrieves a captain’s hat from the airport trash. A self-educated man, Abu Raed tells the children stories of places in the world; places he’s never been and the children themselves are unlikely to ever see. From there, the movie focuses on Abu Raed’s growing friendship with a female airline pilot and two of the children.
Superbly told, superbly acted, with a few surprises along the way. The movie is amusing, but dramatic, even heart-wrenching as it develops.
Beautifully filmed with wonderful views of Amman.
All four of the films this week were excellent and each highly recommended.