Anchored by a strong central performance from its leading lady, Inshallah a Boy is an indictment of Jordan's absurd patriarchal norms & religious laws and demonstrates the utter ridiculousness of it all through its story of a recently widowed woman who's forced to navigate the bureaucratic maze that's designed & exists to ensure the subjugation & oppression of the nation's womenfolk.
Directed by Amjad Al Rasheed in his directorial debut, the story covers the never-ending ordeal of our protagonist that begins when a relative tries to exploit the country's inheritance laws to lay claim on her house & custody of her daughter in the wake of her husband's death. Pushed into a corner with not many viable options at her disposal, she makes up a lie that quickly spirals out of control.
The drama is gripping for the most part despite the predictable route it takes and the subplots only lend more weight to the critique. However, what keeps us invested in the journey is Mouna Hawa's emotionally draining act that aptly articulates her character's frustration, suffocation, isolation & agony over the injustice of it all while she's helpless. And the patriarchal mindset is also reflected in how her brother treats her.
Overall, Inshallah a Boy is competently crafted & skilfully narrated but it's the performances that do the heavy lifting here and steer the film past the finish line. A more compact structure, tighter editing & better pace may have benefitted the whole proceedings but what it has in store still makes for a thrilling & heartbreaking story that's worth a shot. One of the better films of its year, this is an impressive first feature from the debutant filmmaker.
