Film review - Rock the Casbah

If you are a child of the 80s you will recognize Rock the Casbah as a popular song by the English punk rock band, The Clash. And that’s where the similarity ends... or so it seems.

The song, Rock the Casbah, gives an account of a ban on rock music, by a king who is being defied by his kingdom’s population. The king orders jet fighters to bomb anyone who violates the ban, but the pilots ignore the orders. The Clash based their 1982 top 40 songs on the ban of Western music in Iran after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The film Rock the Casbah is not about Iran, nor is it about its Islamic Revolution, but it does have a so-to-speak king, and his “population” does indeed revolt against his rules. In this case, the “king,” Moulay Hassan (Omar Sharif) is a respected entrepreneur and the patriarch of an affluent Moroccan family. Hassan unexpectedly suffers a cardiac arrest and dies, leaving behind his grieving wife Aicha (Hiam Abbass), three daughters and a brother to tend to his funeral.

The wife’s grief is so great that at times she seems to be losing the plot, referring to her deceased husband as though he is still living whilst in conversation with Yacout (Raouia), the housekeeper. In a slew of muttered words concerning the decor of the patio and her concern over her husband’s disapproval of the layout of tables, she threatens to get rid of the housekeeper after the third day of the wake. Overcome by grief and disbelief, the housekeeper agrees to leave the only home she has known for nearly 40 years. 

Hassan’s two eldest daughters, Miriam (Nadine Labaki) and Kenza (Lubna Azabal), are also expectantly distraught by their father’s passing, but keeping focused on the expected diligence surrounding the traditions of a Moslem funeral.

In the meantime the youngest of the daughters, Sofia (Morjana Alaoui), an actress interpreting roles of Arab terrorists in American films, and estranged from the family, has flown in from New York, with her young son. It is immediately apparent that had it not been for her father’s unexpected passing, that she would have stayed away indefinitely. Upon her arrival, resentful verbal exchanges are-a-flurry, and no one is spared. 

Soon, the family’s proverbial skeletons are brought out into the light, and feelings are unavoidably bruised; thus proving that regardless of their culture, when families get together, the past creeps its way back onto the discussion table, whether anyone wishes to summon it or not, causing havoc along the way.

The film’s photography conveys a somewhat magical feel, focusing on the shadows cast by the characters, and the light radiating off their faces. Sure enough, there is a bit of magic in the storyline, and with it a sense of peace is conveyed through Sofia’s young son, who meets a key family member in a most unusual way.

Fans of Omar Sharif will enjoy the veteran actor’s silky smooth interpretation of the charismatic Hassan, delivering jewels of wisdom about life, family, love. Set against a luxurious Moroccan garden, It was almost as though Sharif was stepping into the role of a life guru.

Directed by Laïla Marrakchi, who took inspiration from a personal family loss, Rock the Casbah is enthralling, and perhaps even educational in some ways. Much like the movie characters played by Sofia, far too often media focuses on Muslims who are uneducated extremists, strapping bombs to their bodies and committing atrocities. With Rock the Casbah acting as a sort of cultural window, it is interesting to see, a modern Muslim family keeping its traditions alive, whilst leading a life so similar to those of its western counterparts, ie: consuming alcohol to quiet one’s demons; contemplating an affair to quench one’s desire for affection due to a spouse’s lack of intimate exchange.

in an interview, Marrakchi was asked if the death of the head of the family can be a metaphor for the current situation the Arab world. To which she confirmed the symbolic similarities. "Once the head of the family has disappeared, you can feel the stirrings of revolt. His (Hassan's) death has a revelatory effect on the women. For the three days of mourning, they can finally express themselves freely – even let themselves fly off the handle, in some cases. As a result of being constantly restrained, forced to put up and shut up, oriental women inevitably tip into excess."

The story is universally identifiable, regardless of one’s ethnic background. Death spares no one, and the consequent emotions due to it are empathized by all who have gone through them. 

Rock the Casbah does however fall prey to the “lets wrap everything up into a nice bow” cliché unfortunately. It’s as though the film needed to be completed in a hurry. All the story lines came together, and were smoothly resolved, regardless of their history and damage they caused. The last few minutes rushed to finalize everything, et voilà, it was all done. As a viewer, I felt a little bit cheated. As much as I enjoyed the film, I would have preferred a more elaborate conclusion.

Rock the Casbah (2013)

MA15+ 100 min  -  Drama  -  11 September 2013 (France)