j* movie reviews 2020

Soufra (2017)

Soufra (2017) - 72mins BOFA
There's a lot of food porn, a bit of refugee struggle and a whole lot of hope.

Somewhere between Masterchef and Food Safari, somewhere between Kickstarter promo and Refugee story sits Soufra. The key struggle of the film is a good one; a never-say-die leader of a female cooking co-op in a refugee populated part of Lebanon sets out to get a food truck. And Mariam is inspiring as a leader.

Despite not being much of a cook herself, she supports her kitchen and helps build her team of ladies, who each bring their own family recipes. They use their jobs to build independence and help pay for a better household for themselves and their husbands.

After a successful international fundraiser, the quest for the food truck is complicated by a range of bureaucratic issues. Eventually a lawyer helps them find loopholes and their plan goes ahead.

I found maybe that there wasn't quite enough narrative running through, and that sometimes the "expert speakers" explaining the situations took away somewhat from the grounded nature of the women who cook. There were a few things that popped up briefly, like the amazing electrical fire through dodgy cabling that kind of came and went. Another was Mariam learning to drive. I felt like there was more could be done in exploring these sorts of issues in more detail, and the more specific impacts.

J* gives it 3 stars.

This film is available to stream for FREE via BOFA - Breath of Fresh Air Film Festival Tasmania. Viewing is open to all Australians via registration.