A version of this interview with “The Blue Caftan” director Maryam Touzani first appeared in the International Film edition of awards magazine TheWrap.
Maryam Touzani, who represented Morocco in the Oscar race with 2019’s “Adam,” returns to the race with the story of a closet master caftan maker whose wife hires a young apprentice for him. The film pays special attention to a dying trade even while exploring one of the strongest taboos in Moroccan society.
This movie was inspired by something that happened when you were working on “Adam”, right?
It was. When she was looking for “Adam”, she was looking for a barber shop to open the movie. And I met the only man in the Medina (commercial area) who had a women’s hairdresser. That was something quite strange, because Casablanca is a very conservative place and all the salons will be run by women. I was very curious when I met this man, and there was something very moving about him.
He reminded me of men I had seen growing up, stories I had heard growing up. Because in Morocco they are things that are not necessarily talked about. I used to hear stories about men with other men. But in everyday life, this man really had to pretend to be someone he wasn’t, because the social pressure was too great. He had to build this entire façade that was somehow acceptable. And I’ve heard of plenty of men who get married just to keep up the facade.
I felt this desire to question love, to talk about love. Because for me, above all, “The Blue Caftan” is a film about love, with its multitude of faces.
Watching the film, you can’t help but reflect on how tradition can lead to amazing art, but it can also erect walls that tell people what they can and can’t be.
Absolutely. That is why it was very important to talk about tradition in this sense. Tradition is part of who we are, part of our DNA. There are things in the tradition that really need to be preserved, highlighted and defended. But then there are traditions that can act as barriers. The moment tradition becomes a barrier to your freedom, I believe that tradition must be questioned.
I mean, I live in a country where being gay is illegal, you know? Laws need to evolve and change, and mindsets need to move and evolve. I think it is fundamental in a society like mine to be able to shake these things.
The film is about great emotions, about death, love and desire. But everything is played with measure and grace.
How can I put it? He wanted to understand things through their looks, through the things they didn’t say. This couple lives with all these things that haven’t been said, and I wanted to explore this through the intimacy of the filming. I believe that life is about details. Sometimes we are waiting for the big things and the big events, while we don’t see the little things that are essential to our daily existence. And that’s where I wanted to focus: on all these little details that make up the life of this couple. But what I wanted above all is to delve into the intimacy of their beings to understand them more.
You shot the film in Morocco. If the topic had come to light, could it have been closed? down?
Safely. Homosexuality in Morocco is a taboo subject, and making a film that talked about it would have been a big, big risk. Every day when we went to shoot, I didn’t know if we would be shooting the next day. In our society, there are many things that are fine as long as they are not talked about. But I really believe that there are stories that need to come out in order to bring about change. To me, as long as you believe strongly in the film you’re making, the characters you’re talking about, and the deep reasons you have for telling the story, nothing else matters.
I suppose that now that your film represents Morocco at the Oscars, the largest international film festival, there will be people who have found out about “The Blue Caftan” and speak out against it.
Of course there are, but I don’t care. I mean, this is something that is naturally going to happen. The positive thing is that it will stimulate the debate, and we will be able to talk about issues that we do not talk about. Because homosexuality, once again, is something that is not talked about or hardly talked about. It is one of the last taboos. So if there are people who are against this, no problem.
I am open to debate. I think the debate is essential. I think it’s crucial for a healthy society to be able to discuss everything. And it is only through discussion that change can happen.
Read more from the International Cinema edition here.
