A.J. Al-Thani’s The Black Veil is an astonishing and empowering short film which the world needs now more than ever. With the on-going political troubles occurring in Afghanistan (recently the Taliban have regained control of the country after twenty years of US occupation), The Black Veil offers hope and comfort for many women and LGBTQI+ individuals who have had their freedom taken away from them.
The film follows Reem (Sana El-Habib), a young woman who appears to be in an arranged marriage, who decides to escape with the help of a Taxi driver called Ahmed (Ahmed Al-Tamimi). We open with a beautiful close-up shot of Reem in bed, as morning prayer plays loudly over speakers in the background. Once her husband has left the house, she springs into action, taking with her a jewelry box and gets into an awaiting taxi with Ahmed.
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Things don’t get off to a good start. Before they can leave, Reem tells him that she needs to go back in the house. She’s forgotten something, an old black and white photo of a couple and their child (it’s implied that the people in the photo are Reem’s parents). Just as she goes back inside, her husband returns. Luckily she gets away, but along her journey to freedom, both Ahmed and Reem encounter more challenges and find themselves in far more trickier situations, where one false move can result in death.
The relationship between Reem and Ahmed is beautifully explored in the film. Although this is a short film, the characters are well-developed and they both have their own character arcs. There’s a wonderful little moment between the two characters where Ahmed puts on some music in the car asking Reem if she likes music, which she replies no, only to start dancing along to it.
As they spend more time together, she begins to open up to him, even teasing him about his car which is an old heap of junk, but he confesses he won’t ever replace it. Both El-Habib and Al-Tamimi are brilliantly cast in their roles and they both have some powerful and emotional moments that remain with you long after the credits have rolled.
A.J. Al-Thani’s direction and story-telling is compelling. It’s a marvel how she managed to create such tension and suspense in such a short amount of time. There are several moments where you are left on the edge of your seat, especially when it comes to the film’s gut wrenching and heart breaking conclusion which has so much power and impact that it will leave you in tears.
The film is wonderfully shot by cinematographer Christopher Moon, who captures the sparse, sprawling desert landscape with some impressive aerial shots and wide shots. However, the camera is also used to capture the small and compact environment inside the car, showing us how Reem and Ahmed are becoming closer and a bond is developing between the two. The music by Yassine Ayan is also noteworthy, especially when it comes to building up tension.
Overall, The Black Veil is a fantastic short film which demonstrates the possibilities that a filmmaker can do with the constraints of short film storytelling. One can only hope that Al-Thani is given the opportunity to make this short film into a feature to explore both the characters in further detail.