‘This Little Father Obsession’ Review by Dr Nof Nasser-Eddin – Safar Film Festival 2016

13 September '16

Screening on 18 September 2016 at 4 pm at ICA, London as part of Safar Film Festival. You can buy your tickets HERE

This Little Father Obsession, Lebanon, 2016, directed by Selim Mourad.

Reviewed by Dr Nof Nasser-Eddin, co-director of the Centre for Transnational Development and Collaboration (CTDC). 

This Little Father Obsession

This film can be described in three words: Provocative, Sarcastic and Funny.

This brilliant film is beautifully shot in Lebanon and takes us on a journey to see the dynamics between Selim, who is queer, and his family. The film starts with a woman on all fours with her head inside a washing machine. At the beginning of the film, you cannot tell whether this film is fiction or not.The film is based on real characters where Selim films his parents and some members of his family, he pictures the day to day family relationships in a light and funny way.

The film breaks many boundaries and discusses several issues that are considered ‘taboos’ in the Middle East. The director mainstreams the topic of homosexuality throughout the film in a way that makes it part and parcel of it, but not the main focus. He brings up the issue in conversations with his mother and father spontaneously and sometimes asks questions and probes further based on different contexts. Additionally, he depicts the roles both of his parents perform, and shows how those roles are very much gendered in relation to the way they deal with their son’s homosexuality.

What is fascinating about the film is that Selim breaks away from the stereotype that Arab families are homophobic and ‘backwards.  He instead portrays a picture of his parents processing his sexuality, and the way they  negotiatehis position within the family and society. It is a great way to start a conversation about parents’ feelings with regards to having a queer child. This portrayal of family dynamics challenges the labels and stereotypes about families in the Middle East. His relationship with his parents is based on compassion and love despite his sexual orientation, which is still not acceptable in Lebanon. This point shows the complexities yet the simplicities in the way one can negotiate with their families about their own ‘private’ life and choices.

The film raises important questions about the difficulty same sex lovers face to have and bring up their own children. These difficulties are manifested in their inability to transmit familial blood, and to ‘preserve’ the whole image of the ‘blood-related family’. Highlighting the collectivism of the Lebanese society, Selim shows that much priority is given to the family unit and the community, rather than the individual within that community.

I would like to conclude by saying that the trailer of the film does not give it justice, and that once you see the film you realise that it has a lot to offer and a deep message to convey. It is an absolutely remarkable and inspiring film and I do encourage everyone to watch it. The film raises important questions and issues that we usually brush under the carpet, because of socialisation and upbringing that can be limiting and restrictive.

About Dr Nof Nasser-Eddin:

Dr Nof Nasser-Eddin is a Palestinian academic and practitioner working on gender, sexuality and marginalised communities in the Middle East and North Africa. She currently holds the position of co-director of the Centre for Transnational Development and Collaboration (CTDC).

Part of Safar Film Festival