JEDDAH: “The Tale of Daye's Family,” which did the opening honors at the fourth edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, threw away the initial potential it had about exploring human prejudices. Veteran Egyptian director Karim El-Shenawy — who gave us fascinating movies like “Nawwara” (2015) and “Gunshot” (2018) — this time presents a portrait of a family and Daye, a young Nubian albino.
Scripted by Haitham Dabbour, the Saudi Egyptian production in Arabic captures the resilience of the human spirit and the eternal strength of love. A compelling storyline and outstanding performances by Saudi actress Aseel Omran, who is marking her debut in Egyptian cinema, Sudanese actress Islam Mubarak, and Egyptian actors Haneen Said and Badr Mohamed lift the movie, but below average production values apply the brakes. Lackluster editing and poor cinematography do not help the plot to progress beyond a point.
Tracing the agony of Daye, whose skin discolouration makes him the butt of jokes among his peers, the film turns out to be disappointing after showing initial promise. Agreeing to fulfil the boy's wishes, his mother takes him to a singing competition. Gifted as he is with a magnetic voice, he wants to follow in the footsteps of his idol, Mohamed Mounir. However, the family's journey from Aswan to Cairo in Egypt turns out to be a nightmare.
“The Tale of Daye’s Family” examines the intricacies of life, love, and shocks that can create an emotional storm in one's life. Balancing tears with laughter and the complexities of human relationships with a simpler form of existence, I found the work too melodramatic at times.
