Casablanca Beats
Politics and hip-hop go hand in hand in a Moroccan drama that never fully attains its potential.
Nabil Ayouch was born in Paris but Casablanca has become his home with the consequence that this latest work of his portrays a milieu with which he is very familiar. In the opening scenes of Casablanca Beats we see the central figure, Anas (Anas Basbousi), arriving in that part of the city’s suburbs known as Sidi Moumen. He is looking for the cultural centre where he is taking up a post as a teacher. The centre offers dance classes too, but Anas is a former rapper hired to instruct local youngsters with an interest in hip-hop.
Once established with his class, Anas addresses them in what can be seen as a key scene since through his words the film declares its hand. Anas references the roots of hip-hop in America (he cites the Bronx in particular) but crucially he goes on to discuss its impact in more recent times in places such as Tunisia. He asserts that its aim is revolutionary because it offers a means of attacking racism, protesting about poverty and defending civil rights. All of this makes it crystal clear that Casablanca Beats is as much a film concerned with these issues as it is a piece centred on this kind of music. In the event, though, Ayouch, who is the main writer as well as being the film's director, doesn't seem able to find a format that would enable his film to function effectively both as a musical and as social commentary.
While Anas is very much the central figure here, the film does feature a range of other characters most of whom are his students. The energy of these youngsters is well caught but, even though we visit the homes of one or two of them, little is done to develop their background stories. Too often what we learn about them feels sketchy and insubstantial and, similarly, we learn little of the teaching procedures adopted by Anas. Initially he seems to provoke his pupils by being harshly critical but thereafter we just get individual examples of what they offer when reciting as rappers. These come over very much as mere bits and pieces whether involving unaccompanied speech or words delivered to music. Furthermore, when the film attempts something more full-scale some such scenes are presented realistically on a stage, some are supported by music without a natural source and yet others are allowed to blossom as a cinematic set piece (one example being a street scene).
The lack of consistency inherent in all this (you could call it a muddle) is even more apparent when it comes to the scenes which will wind up the film. When the students get set to stage a concert, it suggests that we are approaching a standard climax to a musical but then when protests unexpectedly disrupt the event it appears that the film’s climax will instead be dramatic. However, this scene is followed up by a big musical number which is all the more surprising because this is not vocal but a dance sequence. Finally, though, Ayouch decides that a film centred on hip-hop must conclude with a rousing sequence in which the students apply their verbal talents to express themselves from a rooftop location.
None of this is disastrously bad, but all the same it adds to the sense of this being a work that doesn't get it together as it should. Indeed, something that could be regarded as symptomatic of that is the fact that the most memorable scenes in Casablanca Beats are those shot like a documentary and which feature the students in lively discussion. Here the talk, be it about freedom of expression, toleration, terrorist incidents or the need to speak out for change, does come alive. But, save for viewers who are out and out hip-hop enthusiasts, the film is likely to leave one feeling that it has achieved less than it should have done.
Original title: Haut et fort.
MANSEL STIMPSON
Cast: Anas Basbousi, Ismail Adouab, Zineb Boujemaa, Meryem Nekkach, Mehdi Razzouk, Abedekilah Basbousi, Amina Kannan, Samah Baricou, Soufiane Belali, Maha Menan, Marwa Kniniche, Hanane Hafssa.
Dir Nabil Ayouch, Pro Nabil Ayouch, Amine Benjelloun, Bruno Nahon, Alexandra Henochsberg and others, Screenplay Nabil Ayouch with Maryam Touzani, Ph Virginie Surdej and Amine Messadi, Pro Des Rachid El Youssfi, Ed Marie-Hélène Dozo, Music Mike Courtier and Fabien Courtier, Costumes Meriem Blarbi.
Les Films du Nouveau Monde/Ali n’ Productions/Unité/Canal+/Ciné+-Curzon Artificial Eye.
101 mins. France/Morocco. 2021. UK Rel: 29 April 2022. Cert. 12A.
