The Blood of Hussain

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Audience Member If allegory is a pretty hard thing to do right, then doing religious allegory set in a real world political thriller might be damned near impossible. Director Jamil Dehlavi mostly pulls it off in this banned film that takes an Islamic religious text and places it in Pakistan in the late 70's. Of course, it functions reflexively as well with one of the first scenes being a gigantic parade of folks flagellating themselves in honor of the martyr whose refusal to subjugate himself to (what I understood as) an "usurper." Here, Dehlavi goes through the story in reference to forthcoming shifts in the Pakistani political field. I'm not quite clear on some of the parallels, but it seems to me that the film attempts to make a case for anti-fascist roots in Islamic culture as a whole. That's fair and fine, and I think the film supports that in a number of ways, but the pairing of Islamic history and contemporary thriller elements hiccups in just as many ways. The positing of Hussain as the "pure" Muslim man who keeps away from corrupting contemporary elements may retain some sense of allegorical authenticity but more often than not serves to reduce the characterization as a whole. Although there's nothing wrong with the performance, the character too quickly becomes one-dimensional and rather one note. That this man is so often compared to his "tainted" brother sometimes undercuts the more realistic elements. That's not to say that it's a total contradiction in terms. The Blood of Hussain also retains a sometimes surreal feel, most notably in a breathtaking shot of a horse emerging from the sand (not sure what the point of reference is here, but cinematically, it's quite astounding stuff) and the aforementioned parade. However, the mixture isn't always terribly fluid, which leaves the film feeling a bit uneven in tone. The most interesting thing in the whole film is the story of Hussain's brother who is actually given psychological roundness even if his wife's character is, like Hussain, a character who suffers from attempts to make her represent the other side of the contemporary scene, the Westerner who naturally doesn't wear a head scarf and ends up having an affair behind her husband's back. These kinds of political treatments seem a bit reactionary even as they emphasize the anti-fascist roots. However, even the most reductive elements become compelling at times. The climax with Hussain is shocking, uncompromising, and quite effective on a didactic level. The political thriller elements are done very well with tension and intrigue due to the fact that for most of the film, it's Hussain's brother who remains the focus. His character, torn between service of the newly-installed military leaders and his grassroots brother, turns into quite an interesting character after his wife's affair comes into the fray. There's a very nice juxtaposition of love scenes between the wife and her lover and the brother and a prostitute. As things get more and more drastic, Dehlavi's penchant for shockingly blunt scenes of violence sweeps in and carries the film to its climax. Despite the problems the film may have, the sometimes astounding visuals, the occasional exceptional scene, and the uncompromising tone the film takes to its subject matter push a recommendation over any subtextual concerns. *** and 1/2 * out've ***** Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Blood of Hussain

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