‘Dalma’: Red Sea Review

Dir/scr: Humaid Alsuwaidi. UAE. 2023. 85mins

Humaid Alsuwaidi’s third feature is woven around an admirably uncompromising woman whose arrival on a small island has the impact of a hurricane. The reason for her presence and the hostility she encounters gradually builds into a tense mix of noirish melodrama and righteous anger. Festivals should take note following a world premiere at the Red Sea Film Festival.

 A compact and compelling story

Crossing by ferry from the United Arab Emirates, Dana (Hira Mahmood) arrives on Dalma, an island located in the Persian Gulf (around 26 miles off the coast of Abu Dhabi), to claim the property she has inherited from her father. It is neglected and in need of repair, but the whole island feels like a ghost town that has seen better times. We know little of Dana’s background or her plans, but the initial intrigue surrounding her presence suggests a number of ways in which the story could develop.

She is clearly far from welcome. Every encounter reinforces her status as an outsider and a woman; hotel rates are more expensive for her, car hire would be cheaper if she had a male relative on the island and the building contractor she hires seems to think he can act as he pleases. Yet every potential barrier placed in her way becomes a business opportunity as Dana sets out to beat them at their own game, offering accommodation, welcoming tourists and – in shades of Midred Pierce – purchasing the cafe that has been shut down after she reported its poor hygiene to the food inspectors.

There is something appealingly feisty about Dana; a smart, angry woman willing to stand her ground even when confronted by a conspiracy of men who regard her as a threat to the cosy, complacent way in which things have traditionally been run. Graffiti is daubed on her walls, leaflets are handed out to discourage her customers but she is never deterred, even when the law fails to offer her proper protection.

There is a further antagonism when she meets local doctor Ghaith (Rashed Hasan) but also the suggestion that their first encounter could spark a future romance. Alsuwaidi even encourages such speculation with the liberal application of his own soaring, sentimental score and some picture postcard cinematography. Blushing sunsets, rugged seashores and plaintive stares into the distance create the sense that we might have strayed into the land of Nicholas Sparks. Such foolish notions are dispelled, however, when the confrontations continue to escalate, hurtling towards much darker territory.

Hira Mahmood’s scornful looks and seething resentment speak to the lifetime of oppression that Dana has endured. This is someone who has reached the point where she will no longer endure the foolishness of men. Alsuwaidi reveals more of her backstory and also humanises the character in key scenes showing the emotional sacrifices she has had to make. Any lingering feeling that Dana may be her own worst enemy is erased by the scale of what she faces. Every male character, and some of the women, seem to feel it is their right and duty to intimidate, bully and blackmail. Alsuwaidi lets the injustice come to the boil.

Dalma may lack subtlety in places and the surly, brutish Ghaith leaves actor Rashed Hasan – who made his film debut in Alsuwaidi’s second feature Musk (2018) and takes his first leading role here –  little chance to find any dimensions within the character. Yet the film still makes an impact, tackling issues of sexism, misogyny and an implacable patriarchy in a compact and compelling story.