‘The Station’ Review – Sara Ishaq Skillfully Blends The Familial & The Political In Powerful Narrative Debut [Cannes 2026]

No Men. No Politics. No War.

Even in these simple statements, there is a complexity hiding underneath that one could write hundreds of pages about. Are men not the source of the vast majority of conflict, regardless of the location? Are politics not, at this point, nothing more than a means of division? And can’t we all agree that war, in all of its forms, is a blight on all civilized societies? But none of this is simple. Generalizations can be helpful, but all of these things creep into our daily lives, whether we approve of them or not. No matter what safe spaces we create, the world is waiting to become the barbarians at the gates.

In The Station or Al Mahattah, Layal (Manal Al-Mulaiki) runs a fuel station in Yemen that adheres to these three rules strictly. Although this may seem unlikely, the basis of this is in fact. Director Sara Ishaq discovered this in Yemen and, given her documentary roots, wanted to tell this story but struggled to gain access due to governmental pressure. Hence, her narrative feature was born, showcasing an ever-changing political landscape. Given that constant movement, there are two factions featured in the film, each symbolized clearly by different colors. This is a stroke of genius from Ishaq, who also wrote the screenplay, along with Nadia Eliewat and Kate Leys. The simplicity of the use of color allows us to differentiate without getting bogged down in the political intricacies of an unfamiliar region.

Possibly due to Ishaq’s background in documentary filmmaking, The Station is populated with many characters that, even with limited screentime, feel genuine and grounded in reality. As the details of shifting perspectives from many different women are pulled into focus, it becomes clear that, even while attempting to obey these three rules, the outside world does leak in. We are never separate from the contexts of our worlds. Yes, the station is an oasis where women can remove face coverings, discuss their male family members, and talk about their daily struggles.

But cleverly, Ishaq makes sure not to paint a completely rosy picture. There is a natural back-and-forth between her characters which shows us that life is complex, and even with these agreements, disagreements are bound to surface. In the introduction, the only male character is Layal’s younger brother, Laith (Rashad Khaled), who is reaching the age of military enlistment but is young enough to escape the “no men” rule at the station. His relationship to Layal feels much more like a child to a parent than siblings, given their age difference. This creates a gap in context that helps the audience lean in to want to know more. Where is the rest of her family? How did this arrangement happen?

Connected to these questions, Ishaq introduces a parallel plot, featuring Layal’s sister, Shams (Abeer Mohammed). In order to keep Laith in their home, Layal demands that Shams send her his inheritance. Instead of wiring the money, she travels to the station, wearing the colored band of the enemy and accompanied by a young boy (though a man by the nation’s standards), Ahmad (Saleh Al-marshahi), as her military-assigned chaperone. Once she arrives, most plotting regarding the station is put on hold in favor of familial grudges.

As these stories reveal themselves, it enables the film to focus on the two powerhouse performances from Al-Mulaiki and Mohammed, which manage to not only deal with problems in the present, but give us a look into their shared past, without ever being obvious about how we are accessing those emotions. All of their interactions build to a heated moment late in the film that makes all of the waiting absolutely worth it. The only negative is that The Station focuses on this present moment, while making us want more detail about the past, both involving the station itself and the familial strife between these two women.

While the growing relationship between the two boys, Layal’s fight to protect her younger brother, and the attempt to heal old wounds are interesting enough, one can’t help but wonder if a shifted focus earlier would have been even more enlightening. However, the combined work of cinematographer Amine Berrada, production designer Nasser Zoubi, and costume designer Zeina Soufan makes for a world worth exploring and an expanse of both color and a hardened world, seemingly created to batter down the doors of a protected, private world. In her first narrative film, Sara Ishaq cements herself as an empathetic, powerful, visionary filmmaker to watch closely. The Station manages a delicate balance; politically charged and familially bonded, all while telling a story that connects us all, regardless of politics, gender, or class

The Station held its World Premiere in competition in the Critics’ Week section of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. 

Director: Sara Ishaq

Screenwriters: Sara Ishaq, Nadia Eliewat

Rated: NR

Runtime: 112m