MovieChat Forums > El-haimoune (1986) Discussion > 'I'm going back to civilisation. I'm ti...

'I'm going back to civilisation. I'm tired of these riddles.'

posted 10 years ago by PoppyTransfusion
4 replies | jump to latest

So sayeth Officer Yussef as he wanders off into the desert at night riding a donkey. I felt sorry for him and his frustration with the villagers and their beliefs. Officer Yusef along with the teacher Abdesalem represented the viewer as both were outsiders looking in at the villagers and their way of life. Abdesalem 'converts' to the village way of being and disappears into mysticism. Officer Yussef remains firmly outside and mystified. I found myself between the two; much of it baffled me and I questioned if the village existed at all (cf the bus driver's response to Abdesalem about the village). But equally the village was so beautiful, the people so warm and the whole situation mysterious enough that I wanted to immerse myself.

Did the book that Hajji leaves with Abdesalem reveal the wishes and desires of whoever read it? The book was intended for the wanderers but Abdesalem read it and in it found the promise of love.

I give my respect to those who have earned it; to everyone else, I'm civil.

[–] Tomatish 9 years ago

But equally the village was so beautiful, the people so warm and the whole situation mysterious enough that I wanted to immerse myself.

I saw the beauty, but it felt very distant. I didn't feel any warmth. In fact, I found my self wondering how these villagers could go on living such a joyless life. I am not talking about the fact that they live in the desert, but the way they interact with each other. Even the children's plays seemed completely void of joy.

[–] PoppyTransfusion 9 years ago

Given you felt a deficit of joy, what was your take on the film's events? Do you think the village existed?

I give my respect to those who have earned it; to everyone else, I'm civil.

[–] GleamingMemory 9 years ago

The villagers seemed to be in a state of somnolence. The film also has strong Sufi leanings as well...I think the otherworldliness of the village, the dreamlike ways of the people was meant to suggest that their village/home was a state of mind - yet another philosophy of Sufism.

[–] PoppyTransfusion 9 years ago

Thanks for your thoughts. I found the spiritual/religious aspect of the film difficult to grasp and as I'm not familiar with Sufi this would be one of the reasons why. The film itself is dreamlike and other worldly. Even the wanderers of the desert is an eerie yet compelling image.

I give my respect to those who have earned it; to everyone else, I'm civil.