Writer and Director: Wael Abumansour
Donald Trump’s coarse description of how the famous are able to treat women pushed the standard of conduct for public figures to an all-time low. It is something of a surprise, therefore, to encounter a culture where simple profanity can ruin a political career.
Set in Saudi Arabia in September 2000 when the country was cut-off from the rest of the world the plot of Saify concerns cheap and cheerful get-rich schemes hatched by the title character, Saify (Osama Alqess), whose name ironically means ‘Sword’ to signify bravery. Saify scratches a living short-changing the wedding bands he organises and by exploiting the willingness of devout believers to buy bootleg recordings of sermons.
When one such recording reveals a powerful Sheik crudely specifying his sexual preference in women Saify spies an opportunity for blackmail. Unfortunately, the Sheik simply instructs his underlings to either recover the recording or get rid of Saify. He takes refuge with his estranged wife Rabaah (Aixa Kay) and hatches a semi-legitimate scheme whereby her spiritual healing refuge can be expanded to offer advice and support to new brides. When a slip of the tongue reveals Saify’s whereabouts he has no choice but to run again before deciding to fight back.
Reviewing Saify necessitates some cultural adjustment. It is a challenge to adjust to a society where religious sermons are held in such veneration as to become collectors’ items. Some aspects remain, however, frustratingly opaque. It is hard to understand if the refuge operated by Rabaah is accepted by the authorities or is an outlaw project.
Saify is plot, rather than character, driven. Once a character has served their purpose in the story they vanish from the film without explanation. Rabaah and her sister Rabiah (Nour Alkhadra) are not mentioned after Saify leaves their residence despite the impression given earlier they were significant characters and had emotional importance.
For a plot-driven movie the story of Saify is full of holes. The relationship between Saify and Rabaah is unclear. Mention is made of financial debts but the viewer does not know what drove them apart or why they retain a degree of friendship to the extent Rabaah is willing to offer Saify refuge and even trust him enough to take part in one of his schemes. The irony of Saify’s legitimate scheme to support to new brides being a success when his blackmail plot failed is not emphasised so the comic opportunity to show the character coping with this development is lost.
It is hard to work out a time frame for the story. Saify’s support scheme is such a success an extension is proposed leading to the question of just how long it has been running and how he has avoided his pursuers for so long. Let’s be honest, the first place you’d look for a fugitive is with their family.
There is opportunity to make Saify the equivalent of the iconic The Conversation. Both films feature the disproportionate impact of a recorded conversation and a tormented protagonist- Saify is shown on a couple of occasions compulsively bathing as if to wash away guilt. But the potential is wasted – Saify remains an enigmatic figure. It is frustratingly hard to understand his motivations. Saify seems to just forget schemes if they do not initially succeed. He does not mention his blackmail plot after its initial failure and when his scheme with Rabaah is thwarted seems content to give up and earn an honest living as a fishmonger.
Faced with pulling together a confusing variety of plot threads writer and director Wael Abumansour thinks outside the box and turns the movie into an unlikely caper tale with Saify suddenly developing a taste for retribution and turning the tables on the apparently invulnerable elite. This brings the film to a close but is not very convincing.
Whether because of cultural differences or a fragmented storyline Saify is a film which confuses and frustrates rather than satisfies.
SAIFY is screening at the SAFAR Film Festival 2025 from 11-28 June.
