In the opening shot of Beauty and the Dogs, university student Mariam (Mariam Al Ferjani) is enjoying her night out at a party. Good vibes engendered by good music, good company and a guy who catches her eye. As she gets further drawn in by the stranger, Youssef (Ghanem Zrelli), the two head out of the party together.
In the very next shot, she’s sprinting, the tears rolling down the face matching her speed, before Youssef catches up to her and attempts to console her. We learn that she’s been running for her life after being raped by police officers. There’s only nine shots in total in the harrowing tale of Beauty of the Dogs, a bravura work of storytelling with a brave actress, newcomer Mariam Al Ferjani, at the centre.
Long takes, long night
Nine successive long takes (roughly around ten minutes) tell the tale. Long takes are no longer a novelty in cinema, especially in the current age where even action movies (Atomic Blonde, Kingsman, etc) are embracing them in favour of the rapid cuts, but every once in a while there’s a film where they don’t merely look self-congratulatory.
In Beauty and the Dogs, the long shots are potent in depicting the agonisingly lengthy post-traumatic experience and the awful legal system. One shot sees Mariam laboriously sat waiting at the hospital, another one is a rough interview with the police. It takes far too long for any progress to be made, and thus there’s unfortunate implications about whether she’ll see justice by the movie’s end.
When she’s in the hospital and still heavily panicking, Youssef attempts to get her admitted only to be repeatedly told that she needs ID to be admitted into the institution. Mariam is eventually let in but the receptionist has the gall to state that she needs ID because she may be wanting to accuse somebody. Femme auteur Kaouther Ben Hania forces us to examine each step along the way, helping us realise the oppression and lack of empathy women face in the conservative world.
The dogs
Mariam tries to mitigate her ordeal as much as possible (avoiding the press, calmly and unambiguously co-operating with the police, etc.) but many of the people around her during this hellish night, particularly the men, have little sympathy for this woman, looking to go after the totalitarian-ish state that wronged her.
The title may evoke a certain Disney fairy-tale but, make no mistake, this is a hard-hitting and brutally real story that holds up a mirror to civilisation. Naturally, Beauty and the Dogs should be highlighted in the age of #metoo but the sad truth is that it’s a narrative that’s been thematically urgent for a long time now.
The structure and content of the narrative, and the method in which it’s formulated, are reminiscent of the brilliant Victoria. Like Victoria, Beauty and the Dogs effectively captures a single moment (or nine in this case) and the real-time emotions of such events.
It’s often difficult to watch; the general public’s apathy is incessantly evil, but at the same time it’s hard to look away from the shocking amount of hoops Mariam has to jump through before any genuine help is given to her by the system. Art is activism, and this film has some pointers for what should change to improve society.
The beauty
Al Ferjani’s performance is utterly heart-wrenching. Her distress and panic attacks are too real, and her ability to sustain such extreme emotional states over long periods of time proves nothing less than an extraordinary innate acting ability. That’s following Mariam’s brief state of happiness, where Al Ferjani wins us over with her mirthfulness which is necessary in a work that challenges viewers to consider the cultural context of its narrative. Mariam sports a lower-cut dress than the rest of her peers in the nightclub so by default we’re concerned for her safety.
Her appearance attracts the attention of Youssef, portrayed by Ghanam Zrelli, who looks sort of like an Arabian Oscar Isaac but isn’t half as dubious as most of the Guatemalan-American actor’s characters. The Isaac-ish quality adds an air of mystery to Zrelli from the get-go, but it becomes clear early on that Youssef is one of the good guys. He accompanies Mariam throughout the whole night, a necessary ally in the patriarchy.
Beauty and the Dogs: Conclusion
Beauty and the Dogs is a sterling achievement from filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania that features an important, uncompromising vision of a real patriarchal and legally corrupt society. Though the bleakness of it can make it hard to watch, the startling breakout performance by Mariam Al Ferjani should be seen for it inspires one to rise up and take action for the women out in the world who are oppressed in a similar way.
What did you think of Beauty and the Dogs and Mariam Al Ferjani’s breakthrough effort? Let us know in the comments below.
Beauty and the Dogs is currently in limited theatrical release in the US, with a release date yet to be determined for the UK. For international release dates, click here.
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