SALVATION ARMY

The quiet and gentle teenage Abdellah lives in Casablanca with his large family. Out running errands in the dusty streets, he’s beckoned and stopped by various men, who lead him into secluded corners to explore illegal intimacy. At home his family steps around him, and he teeters in a near-incestuous fantasy for an older brother, who is everything Abdellah is not: masculine, strong, respected and loved. 

In Abdellah Taïa’s directorial debut, an adaptation of his 2006 autobiographical novel, the acclaimed author explores queer Arab identity and alienation with delicately paced observation, as Taïa’s protagonist moves about the world in quiet melancholy, aching for love and home in a society that deems homosexuality a criminal offense. “By some miracle, I was able to shoot this film in Morocco,” Taïa reflects in his personal essay for Galerie “Cinematic Salvation.” “The authorities gave us their official permission. And the Moroccan actors and technicians were marvelous, united. Never did they judge me. They all understood that this film was telling an unprecedented Arab story, and that they had to help me film it.”

Following a live screening of Salvation Army Taïa will answer questions on the making of this intimate and bold work—the first Moroccan film to portray a queer perspective—shot by legendary cinematographer Agnès Godard.