Saudi’s 2023 Oscar entry, “Raven Song” had its world premiere last Friday at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. As the 109-minute film cut to the end credits, a brief silence took over the full-house movie hall at the Ritz-Carlton, only to be followed by a thunderous ovation. It seems that great things await Mohammed Al Salman’s debut feature.
“I wanted to explore different aspects of the early 2000s in Saudi Arabia,” Al Salman told The National. “But I wanted to do it through a simple and naive character. Someone who reflects upon the young people of the era, who try very hard to fit in a bipolar society.”
The movie follows actor Asem Alawad’s portrayal of Nasser, a seemingly ordinary character who is the target of ridicule from those closest to him. Nasser is 30 years old and yet still struggles to find his footing in life. Later on, he is diagnosed with brain cancer, and much like Al Salman’s characters from his previous short films, the remarkable idiosyncrasies of Nasser unravel as the plot moves along.
A series of surreal events push him to stumble upon a beautiful young woman, who is far different from anyone he has ever known and whose mysterious aura speaks volumes to him. One of Nasser’s friends convinces him that the only way to her heart is a poem, which he writes, only to find himself at the center of a cultural battle between progressive and traditional poets in one of Saudi’s biggest newspapers. He fights against time to confess his affection to this enigma of a woman, as his condition worsens.
“Raven Song” sets to explore Nasser’s interactions with the early-2000 intellectuals in Saudi in a blend of surrealism and dry humor that is close to the hearts of cinemagoers from the Gulf region.
Al Salman’s film was chosen for funding as part of the Saudi Film Commission’s Daw Film Competition to support young Saudi talents, and in October, the film was selected to be the country’s official contendant for best international feature at the 2023 Academy Awards.
“I am one of those who think if you want to make it internationally, you should make it first here,” Al Salman said. “I don’t want to make films tailored for the western audience. I don’t even want to consider the western appeal. I want to make films that, when I watch [them], I feel like I did justice to the Saudi dynamic.”
“Raven Song” stars Asem Alawad, Ibrahim Khairallah, and Kateryna Tkachenko and is produced by Ahmed Mousa and Telfaz 11.
