in 2019, the Moroccan government prosecuted 122 people for same-sex sexual activity. It remains illegal to this day as per the 1962 penal code, which prohibits “lewd or unnatural acts” between individuals of the same sex. In Maryam Touzani’s THE BLUE CAFTAN, a delicate and sophisticated queer drama, the illegality of the protagonist’s sexuality is in the subtext.
Instead of playing it like Georgia Oakley’s wonderful BLUE JEAN, where the vindication of Jean’s queerness is on full display, THE BLUE CAFTAN is instead enriched by the knowledge that the sexual actions of Halim (Saleh Bakri) are illegal.
Halim and his wife, Mina (a brilliantly expressive and captivating Lubna Azabal), run a caftan shop in the Moroccan city of Salé. The store is not hugely profitable, with Halim stubbornly refusing technological advancements that would speed up the process. To help increase the rate at which Halim can produce caftans, they hire an apprentice, Youseff (Ayoub Messioui). His arrival disturbs the amicable status quo the two have fostered for 25 years. Halim and Mina have long harboured a secret, kept knowingly silent between them: Halim is gay.
This review was posted on May 2nd 2023. Full review linked below.
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