52 Films by Women Vol 7. 39. THE BLUE CAFTAN (Director: Maryam Touzani)
Moroccan co-writer-director Maryam Touzani ( Adam ) specialises in films in which characters find comfort in enclosed spaces. Open streets invite suspicious looks, disdainful comments and, worse, the police. Privately, people can smile and be liberated from the fear of censure. Would they be happier still if such censure didn’t exist? Perhaps. But Touzani doesn’t directly challenge the status quo, rather shows defiance in small gestures. Morocco has been described in seemingly contradictory terms as a liberalized authoritarian country. Ruled by King Mohamed VI since 1999, the country experienced protests in the spring of 2011 in common with neighbouring countries such as Egypt and Tunisia. These led to few fatalities – reportedly, only one - as the King deftly instituted reforms following a heavily stage-managed referendum. His success was in no small measure due to his co-opting the socially marginalised Amazigh (Berber) population. Protests are broadly tolerated, though demon...