Insha'Allah

The audience at the Picture House screening reacted well to Insha'Allah. It is an atmospheric film, full of the brooding ambivalence that characterises the film noir influences that it draws from. The cinematography is striking, precisely because of its beautiful depictions of low-key settings. The entrapment of the characters within these everyday scenes and locations throws into relief the claustrophobic tragedy of their existence, as they struggle against a system that manifests its power not through the direct violence of an army at war but through the anonymous cruelty of rules and administration.

The juxtaposition of the title and the ending point to a thought-provoking premise and it is clear that the writers have important themes and ideas to explore. As for many a first short, the film's plot does suffer from being a short where it yearns to be a full-length film. Likewise there is much more to develop in terms of the characters to ensure that we really engage with them; currently, at times, we watch their struggles rather than really feeling them.

There are glimpses of the great potential that the directors have to create an atmospheric, gritty film that engages with necessary themes. It's not perfect by any means but as a first attempt at a short, it's an interesting and memorable film.