Sirens

This film is a beautiful portrait which follows some of the most metal people I've ever seen in the chapter of their origin story. Rita Baghdadi is an documentary cinematographer of the highest quality with the instincts of a D. A. Pennebaker. The editing and original score all hold up to these praises as well.

The women who are the subject of this documentary are utterly fascinating. Fearless for the sake of art and protest to the highest degree. But fearless not in a way that they become or try to be different than who they are to find their voice. Fearless in a way that they handle their personas with natural grace in a climate that would prefer they were different (and by that I mean conform.)

There is criticism that the story doesn't offer more. But that is not real life. This is a character study of real life happening in a country on the brink while a group of young women build a metal band (a very good one.) It's a story of LGBTQ acceptance in the face of discrimination and hate. It's a story of protest in the face of dominant oppression. It's the story of women not doing what their supposed to do. I don't know what's more metal than this.

Undoubtedly if you expect a music documentary you will be very disappointed, but this is not the filmmakers' trespass because they didn't pledge any music-genre film.

So is this a movie about a band?

At one point during the film it may seem like a documentary about a band, but also it's not, because you'll finish the film with nothing you knew about the band.

The film only captures the story of two main characters from a female-metal-band in a society that still shows something of conservatism. Lebanon is far more culturally open country compared to its neighbors, so you won't understand wither this movie about the culture challenges that could face a female metal band? But this is not well introduced and captured in the film.

Is it about the freedom of emotional practices in the country? But this is a case discussed timidly during the film.

Is it about the relationship between two main characters in the band? Maybe

I think that the film is about all of that but very cursory with a technique will not satisfy your ambitions. And the usual cliché scenes of revolution and demonstrations in the Arab world without using them in a real way within the context of the story.

Finally I found the film tickles my desire to know the stories, but does not satisfy it, just like a large number of teen indie films in the Arab world.

And I quote from another review "interesting but noting much"

Exceptional filmmaking and wonderfully human stories portrayed in settings so authentic that it feels like a stroke of destiny for cameras to be present in the moment. A heart-wrenching yearning for freedom of love and music, amidst political and social chaos and intolerance.

There are moments where the camera captures silent expressions that say so much and reveal the inner struggles of the real-life characters living in a world that is not made for them. These five women somehow persist and seem impervious to the devastation around them, including the horrific explosion in Beirut in 2020. The director Rita Baghdadi never plays the female power card, their strength is simply present in every shot, regardless of what they are going through. But what stands out the most is the emotional tension between the two band leads, so authentic and palpable, unmatched by the best of fictionalized accounts of conflicted love and friendship.

Easily the best documentary of 2022.

Saw this back at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival

Directed by Rita Baghdadi and it's about Lilas and Shery, co-founders and guitarists of the Middle East's first all-female metal band, wrestle with friendship, sexuality and destruction in their pursuit of becoming thrash metal rock stars. It's not often we hear about an all female band in the Middle East country so this was pretty intriguing to say the least. However, it wasn't the exact documentary I was hoping for. Baghdadi has good presentation and some interesting conversations, but they get all mixed up with other topics that are honestly unrelated with the movie's purpose.

Lebanon is an interesting country when it comes to it's political stance and culture of gender so it was pretty disappointing that this documentary didn't offer any major insights on the big issues it is wanting to present. The music elements are only presented half way in the film and everything else is about marriage, life, and culture which didn't have any relations with the band at all. The presentation is good and the music soundtrack is good as well. But honestly, there wasn't anything to offer instead just being okay.

Rating: C+

Director Rita Baghdadi made an excellent documentary about the Middle East's first all-female heavy metal band, which is called Slave to Sirens. These two best friends pursue their art in Beirut as political turmoil unfolds. The film is personal in ways that exceed your usual music documentary. A small film that's worth a watch.