Sweetness in the Belly

I almost didn't watch it because of the ridiculously low rating. It's a nice, authentic, non-hollywood movie. No CGI, or dreadfully ludicrous, unrealistic fight sequences. It felt honest and authentic, like a good indie film should be.

I watched this movie straight after having finished the book - which was my mistake. I guess I didn't see the movie for what it was on it's own. I thought Dakota was amazing and the actress who played Amina stole my heart. Yahya Abdul Mateen was a good choice for Aziz I believe. The problem was with fast pacing, and the fact that some scenes just don't make sense unless you read the book and understand it more. Characters were not as fleshed out as was needed to truly sympathise with them and understand why they say the things they do. Of course in just under 2 hours we can't expect the film to show everything that happens in the book, but some pivotal points like how Lily and Aziz eventually got together was skimmed over in the film for me. Overall it managed to find it's way through the plot but failed to fully capture the soul within sweetness in the belly,

This is the tale of the human experience told through the eyes of the women and the lost ones, well told, using a lost European as the focus of the tale, experiencing the story from the local perspective, adds to the depth of meaning. The story of the men is largely not shown, but this conflict was created by men, run by men while ignoring the plight of their families. A fitting tale.

I will admit, as an Ethiopian, I braced myself for offense when I sat down to watch this film. It is a bit unusual to see a white woman portray the Ethiopian refugee experience, but in all honesty, Dakota gives a sincere and worthy portrayal with a character that gives careful attention to her privileges. The circumstances surrounding the story and the other Ethiopian women are rich and authentic. You can see by her response to casting criticism, she does understand the heart of the story she is telling. It brought back memories for my parents as they watched so it was a worthy effort. Particularly her attempts at the Amharic language. 👌🏽 If your on the fence, I do reccomend giving it a look. I'm glad I did.

To be honest, I expected more from this film. I felt this film fulfilled the value of the hollywood verse rather than fulfilling the story that this film wanted to lift. I really like how this film tries to raise family conflicts set in Africa, with Islam as its theme. But in some parts, I feel the interpretation of Islam here is messy when there is a Hollywood romance verse here. I mean, how can a woman for years adhere to strong holy teachings, but like collapsing when she meets a man (played by Yahya Abdul Maten). apart from that, i really like acting dakota fanning. The Arabic that Fanning does is practically perfect, and also, how she prays, and behaves as Islam.

Despite everything, the backstory that is lifted from the main character here is very interesting. it is very rare that we can find hollywood films that carry stories based on Islam. not a lot of cinematography and special scoring, but the story is quite interesting despite all the flaws and verses.