Jordan, Sweden, Canada, France, Arabic - 90 min
Feature Narrative
TOTAL BUDGET
US $1,444,594
CONFIRMED FINANCING
US $20,000
CONFIRMED FINANCIAL PARTNERS
-Jordan Film Fund (development grant)
-Malmo Arab Film Festival (development fund awarded from Swedish Film Institute)
CONTACT
alaa@tabi360.net
+9620797656287
When her son falls mentally ill, his mother tries to help him in her own way.
Amman, Jordan. Present time. Nadia, 45, is a mother and a wife. She has three children and cares about them deeply. She is unsatisfied with her life and is going through a midlife crisis, which also causes her marriage to slowly fall apart.
Nadia has an overprotective relationship with her eldest son Basil, 17, who's in his last year of high school and is under pressure due to his final examinations. Basil has shown signs of depressive episodes before, but Nadia has always managed to keep him afloat, which has strengthened their bond.
One day, Basil gets himself into trouble at school, which effectively leads him to get suspended for two weeks. Nadia takes time off of work to accompany him at home, but as her son's mental health gradually deteriorates, his manic and elated moods lead her to experience bizarre yet beautiful feelings of liberation until she's pushed to the edge of madness. This is where Nadia loses control over the situation for the first time, but will she be able to handle the hurdles of his illness and eventually let him go.
This film stems from a very deep place, inspired by my own family tragedy. I always wondered about what the norms really mean in our societies and how to talk about the stigma of mental illness in the Arab world. I am making this film within the belief that a story this personal can become universal and be able to speak to everyone in their own way.
Nadia, 45, is the main character and is a reflection of society's shortcomings. She's in a dark headspace as she struggles with a midlife crisis and tries to control her son's situation in her own way, because this is her only way of avoiding confronting the truth about him. When her teenage son's mental health deteriorates, Nadia embarks on a strange and freeing journey with him, where she slowly loses control over him. This pushes her to look deeper into herself as a mother who has deeply failed in the way she handled her son's situation, slowly letting go and giving into his grave illness. This is a film about acceptance, letting go, and surrendering to reality.
When Zain approached me with this project. I knew instantly how passionate she was about it because of her personal connection to it. And I believe such projects are powerful because of the filmmaker's genuine approach to the film after having suffered from an issue and lived through it. Since we finished the production of her short film Give up the Ghost, I knew that she's a director that I’d want to be working with on each and every new project. She has a clear vision and the right approach with actors. Zain is a natural-born director. I believe this film is unique to the Arab world and can make a huge difference when such a taboo subject is brought under the spotlight, especially in a country like Jordan. After developing and writing the script, we will approach some markets to raise funds for production. With our Swedish co-producer Helene Granqvist, we believe the film will be fully financed and we aim to secure a French co-producer who can help us secure some European funds. We will be applying for the DFI, Arab Fund for Arts and Culture, Malmö Arab Film Festival, Royal Film Commission in Jordan, and CineGouna Platform.
Alaa Alasad - Tabi360
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