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‘layla m.’: film review.
The latest feature from Dutch director Mijke de Jong, 'Layla M.,' explores the world of a disaffected Muslim girl in Amsterdam who becomes increasingly radicalized.
By Boyd van Hoeij
Boyd van Hoeij
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When she realizes that her city, Amsterdam, isn’t as open and welcoming to her and her religion as it should be, a Muslim girl of Dutch-Moroccan origins becomes infatuated with the idea of going to the Middle East in Layla M. , an earnest and well-meaning drama from Dutch distaff director Mijke de Jong ( Frailer ).
Topical and even-handed, the film benefits from an appealing lead performance from newcomer Nora El Koussour and has the prerequisite handheld camerawork that imbues the proceedings with both uncertainty and immediacy. But in terms of its narrative, the feature contains nary a surprise and with similar dramas — including French Locarno Piazza Grande title Heaven Can Wait — appearing simultaneously, this’ll have a hard time getting noticed internationally.
After its world premiere in Toronto’s Platform section, this will travel to other festivals because of its topicality but theatrical action beyond the Benelux and perhaps co-producing Germany will be limited.
From the moment Layla (El Koussour ) first appears, it’s clear she’s a firebrand who will stand up for what she believes is right, whether it’s calling out a referee during a soccer game or a being photographed for a flyer that protests the Netherlands’ burqa ban. Her parents — and, as far as one can tell, her sketchily developed brother, Younes — are loving and well integrated into Dutch society, though Layla starts to realize that either they have decided to simply ignore the casual racism and signs of general indifference around them or, worse, they don’t actually seem to notice it. The atrocities in Muslim countries such as Syria seem of less concern to them than Layla’s upcoming exams, which stars to gnaw at the idealistic young woman, who sees things from a different perspective and who, in an act of protest, simply marches out of her exams.
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Her tangible frustration leads Layla to become more religious and also leads her into the arms of Abdel ( Ilias Addab ), whom she chats with on Skype and who promises he’ll be a good Muslim husband. About halfway in, the two are married, unbeknownst to Layla’s parents, and not much later Abdel takes her to Belgium, to a jihadist training camp, and finally to the Middle East. De Jong has a good eye for scenes that emphasize the normality of much of what Layla is going through, like when she gets into a heated discussion with a classmate who asks her to stop praying or when she dances with Abdel in a Spartan motel room.
Like in the director’s other films with female protagonists struggling with the harsh world around them, such as Bluebird and Katia’s Sister , these scenes of everyday life manage to telegraph the titular protagonist’s feelings clearly, even though there might be no dialogue or what is being said might be the opposite of the characters are trying to say.
But de Jong isn’t much of an action director — a melee during a soccer match is risibly staged — and the film paints itself into a corner when it gets to the Middle East. Cloistered and excluded from all the decision making that Abdel and his friends do surrounding possible actions to make a difference in Syria or elsewhere, Layla slowly realizes that she doesn’t want to be a submissive wife to a dominant, all-deciding husband who doesn’t even allow her to go out onto the street unaccompanied to walk to the mosque around the corner.
However, it seems very unlikely that someone as intelligent as Layla would’ve been totally unaware of the position of women in some Islamic countries, especially since most of the criticism in countries like the Netherlands focuses on exactly that (which feeds directly into things such as the absurd paradox that is the burqa ban). The film never addresses how Layla initially thinks she’ll overcome or address this other than through her youthful ignorance, which makes her character one with a few too many contradictions, since she’s portrayed as the start as someone who explicitly thinks for herself and who rallies behind causes important to her.
The screenplay, by regular collaborator Jan Eilander and the director, also shies away from much direct conflict between Layla and Abdel , perhaps in an attempt not to vilify him too much. But this quest for a balanced look at “real people” also leave the film without any real conflict in the story’s second half and though El Koussour is an appealing presence, her character’s conflicting feelings in part two remain too often unspoken and interior, which causes a notable dip in energy.
The feature’s blue-tinted, handheld cinematography feels like a logical but also very safe choice. Beyond the rather obvious idea that the movement of the camera suggests Layla’s agitation and uncertainty, there’s no attempt to translate the character’s psychology visually. Location work in Jordan, however, is excellent, focusing not on the exotic locale’s touristy side but only the few nondescript locations — a visit to a refugee camp excepted — to which Layla finds herself confined.
The title, which only uses the first letter rather than Layla’s full last name, comes from a practice in news reporting that’s used to (partially) protect the identity of potential criminals. This sends a rather odd mixed message: Does de Jong see her protagonist that way too?
Production companies: Topkapi Films, NTR , Menuet , Chromosom Film, Schiwago Film, The Imaginarium Films Cast: Nora El Koussour , Ilias Addab Director: Mijke de Jong Screenplay: Jan Eilander , Mijke de Jong Producers: Frans van Gestel , Arnold Heslenfeld , Laurette Schillings Director of photography: Danny Elsen Production designer: Jorien Sont Costume designer: Jacqueline Steijlen Editor: Dorith Vinken Music: Can Erdogan Casting: Rebecca van Unen Sales: Beta Cinema
No rating, 98 minutes
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‘Layla M.’ follows the tragic journey from rebellious teen to jihadist
The netflix original is a familiar and human tragedy..
Eddie Strait
Rebellious teens can change the world. When you hit that age where nobody can tell you anything, it’s volatile. You’re ready to fly, to break free of parents, school, whatever is constraining you. There are stumbles along the way. You’re often too stubborn to anticipate them. Maybe you radicalize because your family’s religious commitment isn’t as strong as yours. Maybe you turn to the Islamic State or another extremist group to find camaraderie. That’s the basis for Netflix’s unique coming-of-age story Layla M.
Mijke de Jong’s film (he directs and co-wrote the script with Jan Eilander) is provocative. It is also frustrating. Nora El Koussour plays Layla, a Dutch-Moroccan teenager starting to stretch her wings. Netflix acquired the international rights to the Dutch film after it stunned at the Toronto International Film Festival last year.
Layla questions the beliefs of her parents for not quite lining up with hers. She goes to protests with her brother. Finally, Layla has enough and leaves home, ready to live her life the way she sees fit. Layla’s story goes to places we don’t see often in films, but her story begins in an all too familiar place. The film opens in Amsterdam with Layla refereeing a soccer match and having her calls derided by the players and other officials. Unsurprisingly, they’re all men. At home Layla clashes most with her father. Later, Layla’s husband makes it clear that they are not on equal standing in their relationship.
As Layla’s journey takes her from living at home to relocating with her new husband to Jordan and joining a terrorist cell, her mistakes become increasingly clear. Seeing a woman systemically minimized by the men in her life is a harsh reminder of how much progress is left to attain in the world. This is the heart of Layla’s story and the source of the movie’s strengths. Layla M. ‘s strongest themes are its most subtle. De Jong doesn’t browbeat the audience with moral righteousness. The film is told almost exclusively through Layla’s perspective, so we feel the weight of the injustices against her. It’s a stark reminder that some of the worst choices we can come from universal places of injustice and alienation.
At just under 100 minutes, Layla M. feels like it’s just getting revved up when it stops. The closing credit text explains the difficulty faced by people who want to leave the Islamic State and return home. But the movie spends all of its time building up to Layla’s decision. It feels like we’re only halfway through the story. What’s a story about someone’s fall without see the attempt to pick themselves up? Despite the harsh ending, Layla M. is still a movie worth checking out. Anything that makes us more empathetic toward each other is worthy of your time.
Still not sure what to watch on Netflix? Here are our guides for the absolute best movies on Netflix , must-see Netflix original series and movies , and the comedy specials guaranteed to make you laugh.
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Eddie Strait is a member of the Austin Film Critic Association. His reviews focus primarily on streaming entertainment, with an emphasis on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and other on-demand services.
Film Review: ‘Layla M.’
By Scott Tobias
Scott Tobias
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With Islamophobia on the rise in Western Europe — evidenced by the “burqini” ban that recently scandalized the beaches of France — the timing couldn’t be better for “ Layla M. ,” an astute detailing of a Muslim woman’s radicalization in Amsterdam and beyond. There’s a contrived, programmatic quality to watching Layla, a righteous firebrand of Moroccan descent, follow her ideals to the edge of the cliff, but co-writer/director Mijke de Jong and her lead actor, Nora El Koussour, work hard to complicate her journey, both internally and externally. They arrive at a plausible case study in terror recruitment, linked in no small part to Western policies of discrimination and harassment. But they also create a fully realized character whose passion has no home in a world dominated by men.
Premiering in the Platform competition section at the Toronto Film Festival , “Layla M.” may have special resonance in the Netherlands, a country plagued by ethnic and religious tension, but its feminist kick should be felt abroad, too. Surely many opinionated women will recognize themselves in Layla, a young woman who’s not afraid to mix it up a little. From the opening scene, where she argues a bad call against her father’s soccer team, Layla throws herself into volatile situations with the confidence of someone who knows what’s right — or at least thinks she knows what’s right. De Jong and her cinematographer, Danny Elsen, are wise to attach themselves to her hip, trusting that the audience will follow her charisma and abiding sense of justice to the darkest of places.
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Though her middle-class father (Mohammed Azzay) and mother (Esma Abouzahra) urge her to focus on her promising academic ambitions, Layla finds herself drawn to the fringes of Islamic practice. Frustrated by her family’s apathy over a burqa ban and other threats to religious freedom, she devotes more of her time to studying the Quran, participating in demonstrations, and engaging with jihadists online and in covert gatherings. Her radicalization is like a vicious cycle: The further she goes, the more resistance she gets from her parents and the authorities, which inspires her to rebel all the more.
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Not long after meeting Abdel (Ilias Addab), another young radical committed to the cause, Layla gets married, drops out of school, and travels with her husband to Amman, Jordan, where she hopes to lead a simple, austere life in line with Islamic teachings. What she finds, instead, is a severely patriarchal society that distances her from Abdel and violates her intrinsic need to have control over her own destiny.
De Jong could punish Layla for her naiveté, as if she were just a social activist gone terribly amiss, but “Layla M.” is really about an idealist who’s trying to find a belief system worthy of her values. She doesn’t find it in Amsterdam, where Islam is treated with hostility and condescension, and she doesn’t find it in Amman, either, where her voice is cruelly stifled. Like many college radicals, Layla is searching for a community where she can live without compromise, and de Jong succeeds most in making sense of every decision that brings her down this wayward path.
As Layla and Abdel, El Koussour and Addab share a gentle chemistry that curdles into romantic tragedy. “Layla M.” is never better than in the brief stretch where the newlyweds make their way from the Netherlands to Jordan, two lovers-on-the-lam who court danger, but also experience true moments of intimacy and joy. If de Jong were interested merely in the step-by-step process of creating a homegrown terrorist, “Layla M.” would play too much like a clunky polemic, with none of the spontaneity of real life. But in connecting with Layla’s innate goodness and her determination to find a system worthy of her values, the film laments the world that perverts them.
Reviewed online, Washington, D.C., Sept. 1, 2016. (In Toronto Film Festival — Platform.) Running time: 98 MIN.
- Production: (Netherlands-Belgium-Germany-Jordan) A Topkapi Films production, in association with Menuet, Chromosom Film, Schiwago Film, The Imaginarium Films, NTR. (International sales: Beta Cinema, Munich.) Producers: Frans van Gestel, Arnold Heslenfeld, Laurette Schillings. Co-producers, Marina Blok, Dirk Impens, Alexander Wadouh, Marcos Kantis, Rula Nasser.
- Crew: Director: Mijke de Jong. Screenplay: Jan Eilander, de Jong. Camera (color, widescreen, HD): Danny Elsen. Editor: Dorith Vinken.
- With: Nora El Koussour, Ilias Addab, Mohammed Azzay, Esma Abouzahra, Bilal Wahib, Yasemin Cetinkaya, Suchil Gholamalizad. (Dutch, Arabic, Moroccan dialogue)
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