A very recent movie, so if you are lucky, you might still catch it in a cinema. (Time stamp: March 2023)
(From left to right: Youssef, Mina and Halim, eating together.)
The Blue Caftan is telling the story of a married couple who run a traditional tailor shop in Morocco. The husband, Halim, is gay. At the beginning of the movie, he starts to make a blue caftan for a rich client. Over the time it takes for him to finish, we get to watch the developing feelings between him and his young apprentice, Youssef, as well as the progression of the wife’s, Mina’s, terminal breast cancer.
While the summary does sound a little bleak, this movie is so full of love and tenderness, it seriously softens the pain to something beautiful. While it is made very clear through the acting that Halim is not sexually attracted to his wife, his and Mina’s relationship is very deep and loving. Mina does show some animosity towards Youssef at the beginning, but as her illness progresses, she comes to accept and even appreciate him, so it really is three people who care deeply about one another up against Life. There is also a lot of nonsexual intimacy going on, mostly between Halim and Mina, but also between Halim and Youssef. All in all, it is a very soft, tender movie, that still deals with some very heavy topics.
The Blue Caftan premiered 2022 in Cannes, won multiple prizes at film festivals, and is Morocco’s official submission at the 2023 Oscars shortlist in the "International Feature Film" category.
I can’t really link much about it, but here is the IMBD page.
Queer Media Monday is an action I started to talk about some important and/or interesting parts of our queer heritage, that people, especially young people who are only just beginning to discover the wealth of stories out there, should be aware of. Please feel free to join in on the fun and make your own posts about things you personally find important!