Audience Member
Very sentimental but it did touch me.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/05/23
Full Review
Audience Member
This is story of "Abu Raed" a Jordanian Janotor who works at the airport. One day he found an pioits hat in the trash, and it changed his world. He wore and the kids in his neighbor hood treated him like trolley. He told them stories, they trusted him, and then the older kids ruined everything. Abu Raed loves people, in a way that is nearly unknown in film, particularly film that doens't have some sort of religious undertone. He's a smart man,who understands literature, economics, and world politics, who just ended where he did because of life.
This film had everythign. Cute kids, funny old men. A love story, of sorts. Action/adventure. Produced an emotional response. Had enough predictability to make you feel comfortable, but just enough turn from predictability to make it entertaining and not boring. I highly recommend.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/15/23
Full Review
sarfaraz a
Captain Abu Raed (Arabic: ????? ??? ????) Jordanian Film written and directed by Amin Matalqa. Starring UK-based Nadim Sawalha in title role. Film was Jordanian entry at Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film but couldn't make it to final list. It is said to be the first feature-length film ever to be made in 50 years in the history of Jordan. Captain Abu Raed received multiple awards and nomination for Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival.
Film portrays recounts of adult Captain Murad, watching over flights from Queen Alia Airport. In slum area of Amman an old man Abu Raed lives at hilltop watching over the city Amman. His wife has been dead for five years - he has compilation of more than 2000 books in his house on various subjects 'politics, language, history, science, literature'. He works as a janitor at airport. One day he finds Captain's cap discarded in the dust-bin, he dons the cap and returns to his home only to be welcomed by small children who believe that he is the captain - at first he shoos them away but to keep their hearts, he tells them imaginary stories about flying to Paris, New York City, London. Young Murad informs all kids that he has been lying to them and that he is a janitor and captain do not live in area where they all do. Murad's father is drunkard and violent, always beats him and his mother at night, which is why Abu doesn't mind his mean and taunting behavior. Abu Raed also befriends female captain Noure who is the only daughter of rich elite and caring father and mother - they have been trying to hear her yes for marriage. Abu Raed and Noure plan to help disturbed family of Murad escape their violent father/husband.
Amin Matalqa's direction is good. There were few more characters whose stories bore strong dialogues and audience might be interested in learning about 'what happened to them'- from what I believe, is that director should have let us know that there is not just 'Murad' but too many complicated children suffering from domestic problems, child-labor. Good story!
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
03/30/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Heartwarming story of friendship
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
01/30/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Abu Raed (Nadim Sawalha)is a simple airport janitor at the International Airport in Amman. One day he finds a discarded captain's hat in the garbage.When he wears it on his way home, one of the kids in the neighborhood mistake him for a pilot and wants him to tell about 'his adventures'. Though he is unwilling to tell any story at first, Abu Raed doesn't mind pretending to be the local captain who regales the kids with his 'airborne exploits.' What seems to be a simple,unimportant hat at first turns out to be a treasure trove of love and fun.We later find out that Abu Raed is a guy who resists being an embittered, hardened old man in spite of the fact that he lost his wife and his only child. Though he is a simple janitor, he speaks profoundly from the heart. He is well-read and wise. He even has a smattering of a few European languages.
With such an original story, truly moving picture and convincing acting you just want it to be bit more fast-paced actually. Since there are lots of subplots in the movie, during almost more than half of the movie you just wonder which set of events (or people) will be regarded less important. Whose story will be developed? The story of Nour (Rana Sultan), a female pilot whose wealthy father poorly tries to find her a husband or the story of the local kid Tareq (Udey Al-Qiddissi)who is forced into child labor by his father instead of going to school? In the end, Amin Matalqa chooses to tell the story of Abu Murad whose mother constantly gets beaten by his abusive father. Though you can't tell everyone's story in a feature length movie, Mataqa's finalizing all these subplots in a finale in the last twenty minutes leaves a half-baked flavor in your cinematic enjoyment and you wish it were a better-paced and better-edited movie but that doesn't mean Abu Raed is not a movie that's worth every minute of your time.It is purely humanitarian,truly moving movie which somehow gets to you. The pièce de résistance, however, is the fact that this movie Amin Matalqa's feature length debut. 4 1/2 Stars 9-5-13
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
01/23/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Excellent story about the human experience.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/02/23
Full Review
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