“At this time, we have to do whatever we can do to make the difference between ‘we’ and ‘them’ as small as possible,” says Dutch filmmaker Mijke de Jong.
The "we" in this case is the Dutch and the "them" is members of the Islamic community in the country. Many films have tried to fathom why young people in Europe are attracted to radical Islam, but few have managed to do so with the style, pathos and intrigue of de Jong's Layla M.
“I wanted to see it from the point of view of a young girl, because I’m a woman,” says the director, known for social-realist films that have explored themes of alienation, bullying, family problems and death. These all collide in this story of 18-year-old Dutch girl Layla (played by Nora El Koussour), who feels that society is against her because her family is from Morocco and she is a Muslim.
“We started making the film four years ago, and it came from a curiosity to find out what is behind the doors of our immediate neighbours, who in this case are neighbours from a different culture,” says de Jong. “At the start it was a more politically correct story about radicalisation.”
Then came the terrorist attacks in France in November last year, and the focus in the news shifted to second-generation nationals. De Jong decided that her story should centre on Layla and her thought process, as a way to make the tale universal. The film examines why Layla would feel that joining a man fighting in the Middle East, who she has only met briefly, represents rebellion and freedom.
By showing us Layla’s life, and her sense of being overwhelmed by information on the internet, she humanises Layla in a way we can all understand. Remarkably, de Jong ensures that we can always identify with the reactions of Layla, even when we cannot identify with her choices.
“ She always had to stay the vulnerable hero,” says de Jong. “She crosses that border to more risky areas, but within that we always had to love her and understand her vulnerability.”
• Layla M screens at Vox Cinemas, Mall of the Emirates, tonight at 10pm (sold out, standby tickets might be available) and on Wednesday at 5.45pm. Tickets cost Dh35
artslife@thenational.ae
