Captain Abu Raed - seeking goodness in all

Jordan, as we know, is a small Muslim country in the Middle East. Rarely have we heard of Jordanian films. Even as the neighbouring Iran produces hundreds of films, Jordan has produced hardly any in the last few decades. In fact, it has produced just one full length feature film in the last 50 years. There may be many reasons for such a development. But, one of the major reasons is the lack of support for the film industry.

Be that as it may, the one film that has come in the last five decades stirs you to the core. It is not flamboyant, it is not glamorous. It is simple, straight forward and has a deep message. And the message is that there is goodness in everyone. 

Director Amin Matalqua

Film clip

The film Captain Abu Raed is a film about a ‘single’ man Abu Raed who works as a class four worker in the Airport. Accidentally, he gets the title ‘captain’ and becomes very popular among children for his fantasy stories. However, he changes the life of several of those children by seeing the goodness in them. His philosophy of life seems to be do as much as you can to make this world a better place.

The film touches you for more than one reason. For one, it calls you to goodness, without counting the cost. Second, it invites you to see goodness around.

The film works to leave a mark on the viewers, largely due to the powerful expressions and portrayal of an ordinary man in the lead actor Nadim Sawalha. The film is directed by Amin Matalqua.

- Melwyn Pinto SJ