Al malaika la tuhaliq fi al-dar albayda

This is a rare gem. A deceptively simple film with uncharacteristically fine production values in editing, direction and performances. It evokes memories of de Sica's "Bicycle Thief," Kurosawa's "Dersu Uzala," Tavianni brothers "Padre Padrone" and Ermanno Olmi's "The Tree of Wooden Clogs." I stumbled on this considerably unsung film at the on-going Dubai international film festival.

At a simplistic level, the film is about the travails of urban migration. Three pipe-dreams of three workers in a busy Casablanca restaurant interweave the screenplay--one dreams of a better, richer family life, one dreams of caring for his steed, and one dreams of wearing an expensive pair of shoes.

But Moroccan director Mohamed Asli presents a debut effort that would put weather-beaten directors to shame. He presents tragi-comedy that comes alive with brilliant sound editing (Raimodo Aeillo and Mauro Lazaro) as he cuts from a suicidal jump in a dream to a neighing, prancing horse; inventive camera-work (director Asli and cameraman Roberto Meddi) utilizing a camera placed on a roof of a bus weaving through Casablanca traffic behind a sack of bread destined as feed for a horse miles away in quick-motion; evocative performances by non-professional actors who slide through heavy road traffic like ballet dancers with a tray full of beverages and snacks; and the quixotic efforts of a simple man to keep his new pair of shoes clean and safe.

These are not unreal dreams. Every urban migrant has similar dreams. But Asli presents a canvas that goes beyond the obvious. Through his characters he rattles the viewer as he contrasts humanism (a stranger's helping hand to someone in shock) against capitalist insensitivity (a restaurant owner who only looks at ways to prosper disregarding the lives of his workers). There is an equally disturbing question: are you more afraid of Allah (God) or of the police? The film presents the joy of birth and pathos of death--the final sequence of dead corpse being hauled against a barren, cold, lonely landscape presents a fascinating counter-point to the opening scene of a pregnant woman surrounded by people climbing stairs to talk to her husband through an intermediary. In life and in death, things remain unattainable (ability to talk to her husband versus a dream to provide a better life for the family).

The film is set in Morocco--the film could have been set anywhere. The aura is Muslim and Arab--but the sensibility is universal. There is tragedy, there is comedy. That is the real stuff of life. Thank you, Mr Asli. I look forward to even better films from you and sincerely hope more people see and enjoy this work.

The migration of villagers towards urban centers is a major global problem.There is no imminent panacea for this universal malaise.A miracle of sorts is taking place in communist nation China where a tangible solution has been found.Chinese villagers have been given special identity cards which stipulate that they have to stay in their respective villages.It is in this not so politically correct manner that Chinese government is banning the entry of its own villagers into major developed cities.This is a very specific case but there are no so many countries which can think of introducing such drastic measures to curb the entry of poor villagers into big cities.Morocco is one such African country which is facing severe problems related to rural/urban divide.It is in this specific context that one must watch Mohammad Asli's director debut "In Casablanca,Angels don't fly".It is a film which tells us that underdogs don't always win.They are destined to a life of misery as nobody cares about them.In this film,Berber women and children have been shown as biggest victims of migration.They are left to fend for themselves when they are left by men.Mohammad Asli has made his film effective as he has deftly portrayed harsh weather conditions for causing untold miseries on common people.According to Mohammad Asli his film speaks about enormous difficulty to live in Morocco where even most simplest of dreams are difficult to accomplish. The broken dreams of naive young men appear as true as most of the cast is made up of young non professional actors.

This is a really beautiful film and is one of the best films I have seen that is spoken in tashlahit/Berber. 'A Casablanca les anges no volent pas' certainly presents us with the harsh reality of life in Morocco's rural areas. Despite it's cold setting, the comic moments warm your heart, if only for a while, and the love expressed by the protagonists, in whatever form it takes, is extremely powerful and moving. Anyone who thinks that economic migration is terrible thing for those of us in Europe should see 'A Casablanca les anges no volent pas', its clear that given the choice the protagonists of the film would never have left their families (or horse!) and their own way of life for the alienation of the city, but do they even have a choice? Not really.