For Muslims, the term Inshallah, which translates to “If God wills” — is advantageous: If you want something to happen, you should say inshallah before you say anything else. In Amjad Al-Rasheed’s debut film, that idea is given shape in the story of Nawal (Mouna Hawa). When her husband suddenly passes, she and her daughter face financial and reputational damage that she is unable to save them from unless she gives birth to a son.
Amjad Al-Rasheed has crafted a complicated film. In some instances, you feel that Nawal wants to challenge the standards of the oppressive system in Jordan, but she is also a woman bound by her faith, and the rules of their society. It makes for a compelling push and pull contrast as the film goes on. Your heart will ache for Nawal as she tries to navigate through her grief while being challenged by her husband’s brother Rifqi (Hitham Omari), who desperately wants to sell her car and her apartment to pay for his brother’s debts.
This is all compounded by two of her co-workers – one who has taken an interest in her, and another woman who fully rejects the norms of their society and wishes to divorce her cheating husband. Each interaction with these characters makes you pine for Nawal to break free of the constraints of her world, but to do so would be an isolating life. One with ridicule and shame. And it’s this reality that keeps her from pushing away further.
What was once a world of wide open possibilities with her husband is quickly becoming a limited space. She’s told after her husband’s death that in order to honor him, she’s not allowed to leave the house for four months, and even if she does, she has to be back before dark. This naturally clashes with her job that she works until midnight. As the film progresses, Al-Rasheed is able to capture Nawal’s escalating claustrophobia as relationships with neighbors become strained, family members begin challenging her lifestyle, and even a mouse takes over her kitchen.
The one constant in Nawal’s life is her daughter, Nora (Seleena Rababah). Despite the rest of her life crumbling, she is still able to get Nora dressed, to school, and fed. It’s the one thing she’s able to focus on in order to maintain. When even that becomes abrupt, Nawal’s grip on her sanity and her faith begin to slip. Desperate to get pregnant to save her home, she enters into an agreement with her co-worker, Laura (Yumna Marwan) to take Nawal’s pregnancy test for her. She agrees, if Nawal will attend Laura’s abortion with her.
Beyond this, Nawal’s co-worker, Hassan (Eslam Al-Awadi), is teaching her how to drive, while also secretly wanting a deeper relationship with her. With Rifqi constantly taking her back and forth to court, the stress that Nawal is under will be felt by everyone. As Nawal discovers more about her husband in the months before his death, her world feels as though it keeps getting tighter.
All of this makes for an extremely compelling film. As the betrayal and dishonesty mounts, you beg for Nawal to push the boundaries, take more risks, or even defy the faith entirely, but always Al-Rasheed pulls us back from that ledge, and reminds us who this person is and what world they are in. It’s a very poignant film in today’s political climate, and the contrast between the two women is a line carefully towed as to not weigh either side as the better option, but rather showcase what the lack of options does to an entire group as a whole.
Hawa gives a phenomenal lead performance as Nawal, capturing her fierceness and sensitivity. She’s able to go just up to the breaking point without actually going over, even when she would be justified. It’s a smart performance that is rarely seen. Along with a tight script by Al-Rasheed, Rula Nasser, and Delphine Agut, the film is a tightrope walk for 113 minutes that doesn’t let up even in its final scene.
Inshallah a Boy held its North American Premiere as part of the Centrepiece section at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.
Director: Amjad Al-Rasheed
Writers: Amjad Al-Rasheed, Rula Nasser, Delphine Agut
Rated: NR
Runtime: 113m
Hawa gives a phenomenal lead performance as Nawal, capturing her fierceness and sensitivity. She’s able to go just up to the breaking point without actually going over, even when she would be justified. It’s a smart performance that is rarely seen. Along with a tight script by Al-Rasheed, Rula Nasser, and Delphine Agut, the film is a tightrope walk for 113 minutes that doesn’t let up even in its final scene.
Phoenix is a father of two, the co-host and editor of the Curtain to Curtain Podcast, co-founder of the International Film Society Critics Association. He’s also a member of the Pandora International Critics, Independent Critics of America, Online Film and Television Association, and Film Independent. With the goal of eventually becoming a filmmaker himself. He’s also obsessed with musical theater.
