With its name referencing a reality television program that has spanned dozens of versions and is broadcast to 150 countries, that The Idol (Ya Tayr El Tayer) charts the age-old ascension of an ordinary figure to celebrity status isn’t difficult to guess. That the heroic connotations of the title ring as true as its allusion to a singing contest is perhaps less expected; however the filmic telling of Muhammad Assaf’s tale delves into the broader scenario surrounding his rise to fame, albeit in a largely crowd-pleasing manner.
When Assaf won the second series of Arab Idol, a feat made all the more difficult by his status as a Palestinian hailing from the Gaza Strip, he was deemed a symbol of hope and unity by the watching local, cultural and global audience. Given his focus upon his compatriots across much of his work to date, including in Rana’s Wedding, Golden Globe winner Paradise Now and Academy Award nominee Omar, writer/director Hany Abu-Assad’s attraction to his story is understandable. Assaf isn’t just a pop star, but an underdog who overcame several sources of adversity in trying circumstances and in a traumatised region.
In The Idol, Assaf’s (Qais Attallah) narrative begins with a childhood yearning for an outlet for his talents, and with the enthusiasm to do whatever it takes to make his dreams a reality. His sister Nour (Hiba Attahllah) and friends Ashraf (Ahmad Qassim) and Omar (Abd-Elkarim Abu-Barakeh) are his key co-conspirators as he finds a way to play weddings around town — until misfortune strikes, leaving him sorrowful and singing solo. As a university student (Tawfeek Barhom, The ABCs of Death 2) driving taxis to pay for tuition, he still harbours performing aspirations, with a TV advertisement representing his latest shot at stardom. Alas, finding a way to travel to the auditions in Egypt poses a significant challenge, as does maintaining his resolve.
Abu-Assad is clearly moved by Assaf’s plight, encompassing hardship and various failed attempts to follow his heart as it does. Accordingly, an overt sense of adulation seeps through the bulk of the feature, as co-written with Sameh Zoabi (Man Without a Cell Phone) to the usual against-the-odds template. Even when tragedy strikes, youthful coming-of-age scenes are tinted with nostalgia; even when tensions are raised, optimism is the film’s pervasive tone. Bright imagery and rousing music fills the screen and the soundtrack, unashamed sentiment triumphs and a star-is-born celebration creeps towards a foregone conclusion.
Thankfully, though, Abu-Assad tries to temper the feel-good mood with small reminders of the troubles that haunt his subject and homeland: sliding past damaged buildings, spying the injured on the streets, and showing the complications of crossing borders, for example. In his lead, he also reaches for the same sense of balance, with Barhom a measured presence amidst an otherwise upbeat atmosphere. While the younger cast fare well in offering glimpses of distress, his quiet sensitivity more fully conveys the weight of the devastation seen around Assaf, heightens The Idol‘s obvious emotional arc and ensures that the film feels authentic rather than overly manipulated. Barhom’s performance might depart from the real figure he plays, but it strengthens Abu-Assad’s laudatory yet layered account of Assaf’s tale, and helps earn the multiple meanings of the movie’s moniker.
Rating: 3 stars out of 5
The Idol (Ya Tayr El Tayer)
Director: Hany Abu-Assad
Occupied Palestinian Territory, 2015, 100 mins
Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival
brisbaneasiapacificfilmfestival.com
19 – 29 November
Palestinian Film Festival
palestinianfilmfestival.com.au
Sydney: 19 – 22 November
Melbourne: 20 – 22 November
Canberra: 27 – 29 November
Perth: 4 – 6 December
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