Bab'Aziz

This is more than a film. It is a cinematic teaching tale. It can function on the level of that sort of Sufi contemplation device in which direct experience--through contemplation of a parable--is more important than preaching and didacticism. It is designed with careful artistry so that it is comprehended by the faculty of consciousness mystics call "the heart" rather then by the intellect. The Sufi (and Islamic)traditional saying "Die before you die" has never been so well conveyed. The central figures of Baba and Ishtar embodied by the actors are compelling to the point of beauty, with enough mystery and paradox that you will never be able to put your finger on precisely why, and in what way, you have been moved. But many, many people will be: what ever faith they practice, and even if they do not have one. This film will leave you with the powerful sense that the realm of spirit is the greater reality. -- Joe Martin

This tantalizing story concentrates on - and does it from the very different perspectives - being on the way, searching for the deepest meaning, passionately yearning to reach the goal which is at the same time universal and in every case slightly different: love, truth, spirituality - however You call it. And like so often in our lives we end up finding that the search itself has been this what we actually have been looking for. Don't let the surroundings confuse You, however magnificent they are. Those who take this movie as a kind of version of 1000 and one night completely miss the point; also because the old dervish mystical tradition is far from - and quite often even in conflict with - the convictions which are shared in the mainstream Arabian culture. For me it was a universal story about deepest passions which have been moving and still move the souls of humanity. I saw this movie in last November, but it's still haunting me

Although there are moments when the movie may seem to progress slowly; nonetheless it kept the audience at the cinema glued to their seats. I went to watch the movie twice. It did not attract huge audiences; which in great part may be due to its lack of adequate advertising; but those few who did come to see the movie were glued to their seats. The movie has two great features. One is the soul stirring choice of music and its perfect adaptation to the scenes. Secondly, the movie successfully achieves the difficult undertaking of introducing and explaining in graphic terms and with simple stories the almost exclusively Oriental world of mysticism. The setting might not reflect the physical or material reality of the East, but it definitely does add to the magic and facilitates the viewer's transit from the material world outside to the spiritual world within. Highly recommended.

As others have said, this movie can qualify as a "best movie of my life". The person that commented about the movie not focusing exclusively on the pure/ascetic aspects of Sufi has a valid point, but it is on purpose that this is the case.

I strongly recommend watching the other two movies of the "dessert trilogy" where the very same path towards illumination, is seen from the outside (first movie), then from the point of view of the one drawn into joining in (second movie) and with Bab'aziz comes the end of the cycle.

Behind the movie and the trilogy itself, the Director (Nacer Khemir) is of course the conduit that guides to the viewers the source of the light. To dedicate all your artistic career to a single trilogy over so many years, puts Mr. Khemir in the line of the Muslim craftsmen that adorned so beautifully the buildings we see throughout the movies... He succeeded in turning a medium (cinematography) mostly used by anti-traditional messages in a veritable page of a scripture. The movie is able to lead people to "search more" and provides them a valid direction as well.

Some of Nacer's interviews one can find on the net are worth watching too...

For anyone who is unaware of the culture,the Dervish is an integral part of the Sufi branch of Islam (the ones who embrace mysticism). This is a loving meditation on a grandfather & granddaughter who embark on a spiritual odyssey to a gathering of Dervishes that only takes place every 30 years. Along the way,the pair encounters various persons in the desert that tell their stories (which,like Sufi stories,interweave within one another). This is a lovingly written, directed,filmed (mostly in the barren desert areas of Iran,giving the film a dreamy & surreal look at times)allegory of spirituality. This is a film that deserves to be taken at it's own terms (the pacing is s-l-o-w, but don't let that deter you). The music score is fantastic,with lots of traditional Sufi music (it might help to listen to a bit of it---try anything by the late,great Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn for some background). By all means,get yourself attuned & enjoy this rare bit of entertainment & enlightenment.