The Oxford-born, Jordanian-bred film-maker Naji Abu Nowar tells an intimate story of betrayal and survival in a wide-open space, while rewriting an especially contentious chapter of movie history. During the first world war, a young boy in a Bedouin encampment (Jacir Eid) grows curious about the blond-haired, blue-eyed Englishman (Jack Fox, with decidedly Lawrentian mien) who’s appeared from nowhere with a trunkful of gold.
The enforced naivety of observing events from the child’s perspective places certain plot elements beyond our reach, but also allows others to hit us with unexpected force. The narrative meanders along the way to the chastening punchline, but Eid proves a dolefully expressive lead, and Wolfgang Thaler’s ever eloquent camerawork is as fascinated by the discovery of bullet shells in the sand – a clue, and a warning – as it is by the punishingly craggy landscape.
