LAYLA dir. Amrou Al-Kadhi
by Sienna Axe and Morgan Stone
When Layla, a struggling Arab drag queen, falls in love for the first time, they lose and find themself in a transformative relationship that tests who they really are.
(via Sundance)
Sienna: Layla is such a sweet and fun movie, with a banger soundtrack and a perfect ending. It’s refreshing to see such an empathetic romantic comedy about queer people, and it works really well for being Al-Kadhi’s feature debut. Layla (Bilal Hasna) and Max (Louis Greatorex) play wonderfully off of each other; the two girls we’re staying with walked in during their meet-cute, got sucked in, and stayed for the entire rest of the film. The best parts by far, though, are the handful of drag sequences: affecting, well-shot, and brilliantly performed by Hasna, they elevate Layla from a fun watch to a solid entry in the queer cinematic canon. There are definitely places where the editing feels a little unintentionally messy, but not so much that it gets in the way of the story. It was so nice to be able to see a film like this at Sundance; I’m hoping it gets a wider release so that more queer people, especially queer people of color, have one more place to see themselves onscreen.
Morgan:
Layla is a wonderfully enjoyable exploration of love and living in queer spaces, that avoids the pitfalls that often come from telling queer stories: it isn’t about suffering. It’s a sweet and funny romantic comedy that perfectly encapsulates the issues of young relationships. Both the lead and their love interest are interested in each other, but struggle to feel comfortable enough with the different facets of their lives to make the relationship make sense. Their worlds are inherently incompatible, and neither has the tools yet to understand how to make it work, which feels so true to life! This film has great acting, great direction, and it feels good. I hope to see more films from Al-Kadhi!
