I have watched Bekas during Stockholm festival and must admit it has certainly delivered something. Each of the kids' story, their surroundings, Iraq landscape under Saddam's regime along with the Kurds conflict can be a tempting subject for a heartfelt depressing drama. Bekas has managed to combine all and make us laugh. With all the empathy and the connection we made with the 2 kids, we still laughed. Perhaps how intact their innocence and spontaneity were portrayed was the secret behind such a good movie. Bekas is certainly not meant to be a comedy thou (in the classic sense); I think it is a real fantasy and an opportunity for a lot of us to reflect on what we had throughout our childhood.
34 Reviews
Realising the value of family, despite dreaming big.
Reno-Rangan11 May 2015
Nowadays its a customary to take the acclaimed short movies to stretch for the feature films by the incoming directors. All they need is a good producer and the distributors, the actors can be managed with the new faces. Yep, this movie was inspired by the short film of the same name like 'Short Term 12', 'District 9' et cetera. Most importantly, these films met a great success because of the beautiful story, characters and narration.
This movie was directed by the Iraq born filmmaker who is now residing in Sweden. Most of the recent movies, in fact, all of them outlines Iraq as a war field. But this film was such a poetic, shot in the real locations, brings a calm and beautiful 90s Iraq on the screen that you have probably never seen in a decade. The main two characters were inspired by the director and his elder brother, when they were kids and lived in the Kurdish part of Iraq. But the story was marginally fictional except the dreams of the children from the third world.
I must agree, this movie practically describes how the influence of American products, films and culture affects the young kids from a country like Iraq. Their over obsession leads to dream bigger without knowing that's impossible to make it true. If you are a non-American you would have had such obsession in your childhood on soft drinks like Cola, Pepsi, or fast foods like from KFC, McDonald, or TV cartoons and Marvel Comic books et cetera. So, in some way, somewhat it's a tiny part of your story as well.
"If a family is united, they will be strong."
There is no exact one word translation for 'Bekas'. It means 'homeless orphans' according to the director's explanation during an interview at one of the film festivals. This movie is all about two young Kurdish boys, Dana and Zana, and Superman, Michael Jackson and Coca Cola. If we talk about the story, it's when 'Slumdog Millionaire' meets 'In This World'. The movie begins similar fashion to SDM where kids are playing football and after that go straight to their business, instead school. In fact many scenes resemble above two films I mentioned and also other films. When the brothers get separates, that kind of reminded me 'The Gods Must Be Crazy 2'. Thus the screenplay originality lacks, other than that it is nothing less than to consider a wonderful film.
There are some scenes that make you go edge of your seat. Grabs our attention, creating tensions and thrills in the scenes like check- post and landmines. Emotions did not strike well because it's seemed more like a dark comedy. A bit commercialised than being realistic. The music was so good, awesome blend to portray the adventures, along with the two great performances, ignited the movie to emerge as a pleasant family entertainer. There might be millions of reasons to blame this movie because of similarity with other films and other stuffs, but overall I felt happy. Criticisers still going to criticize it, despite those flaws definitely worth to check it out.
8/10
This movie was directed by the Iraq born filmmaker who is now residing in Sweden. Most of the recent movies, in fact, all of them outlines Iraq as a war field. But this film was such a poetic, shot in the real locations, brings a calm and beautiful 90s Iraq on the screen that you have probably never seen in a decade. The main two characters were inspired by the director and his elder brother, when they were kids and lived in the Kurdish part of Iraq. But the story was marginally fictional except the dreams of the children from the third world.
I must agree, this movie practically describes how the influence of American products, films and culture affects the young kids from a country like Iraq. Their over obsession leads to dream bigger without knowing that's impossible to make it true. If you are a non-American you would have had such obsession in your childhood on soft drinks like Cola, Pepsi, or fast foods like from KFC, McDonald, or TV cartoons and Marvel Comic books et cetera. So, in some way, somewhat it's a tiny part of your story as well.
"If a family is united, they will be strong."
There is no exact one word translation for 'Bekas'. It means 'homeless orphans' according to the director's explanation during an interview at one of the film festivals. This movie is all about two young Kurdish boys, Dana and Zana, and Superman, Michael Jackson and Coca Cola. If we talk about the story, it's when 'Slumdog Millionaire' meets 'In This World'. The movie begins similar fashion to SDM where kids are playing football and after that go straight to their business, instead school. In fact many scenes resemble above two films I mentioned and also other films. When the brothers get separates, that kind of reminded me 'The Gods Must Be Crazy 2'. Thus the screenplay originality lacks, other than that it is nothing less than to consider a wonderful film.
There are some scenes that make you go edge of your seat. Grabs our attention, creating tensions and thrills in the scenes like check- post and landmines. Emotions did not strike well because it's seemed more like a dark comedy. A bit commercialised than being realistic. The music was so good, awesome blend to portray the adventures, along with the two great performances, ignited the movie to emerge as a pleasant family entertainer. There might be millions of reasons to blame this movie because of similarity with other films and other stuffs, but overall I felt happy. Criticisers still going to criticize it, despite those flaws definitely worth to check it out.
8/10
Interesting road movie for kids and adults
Horst_In_Translation18 August 2014
Warning: Spoilers
"Bekas" is the newest movie from writer-director Karzan Kader and it took quite a while till it came to Germany, but it was worth the wait. It is his second full feature film and judging from how young he looks on his profile picture, he may have a bright future ahead of him. Anyway, this film plays in Kurdistan in the early 1990s. Despite what you could think now, it is not all about the political background. Not at all. Actually, most of it is not even included and that is a good thing as this is really more of a road movie centered on two orphan boys, who want to see the newest Superman movie, when it opens in cinemas in Iraq. They get to watch it illegally. No I'm not talking about file-sharing, just about finding a way to watch without paying. That's how things worked 20 years ago.
Anyway, from that moment on, they plan on going to America to find Superman, so he can bring back their parents. My theater classified it as a children's movie and I can see why, although there are some heavier scenes like the one near the end with the mine. The heart and soul of the film really is (apart from Michael Jackson obviously) the younger boy and how he likes being called "my boy", but the older was good too and so were pretty much all the supporting characters that were written in an interesting fashion. The only part I wasn't too fond of was the story with the girl who played the love interest to the older boy. However, it was not so bad that it destroyed everything else. They just could have done without it.
Kader did a nice job with the ending too. It was clear there's no way they could manage to get to America, so he had to find another way to make it a true happy ending despite the main goal remaining unachieved and he succeeded. The many references to America (Superman, Michael Jackson...) could have turned ridiculous at some point, but it all works out well thanks to clever writing. This film has humor, heart and also some nice music. I really liked the scene were the two main characters meet again that involves Coca Cola. Definitely worth a watch.
Anyway, from that moment on, they plan on going to America to find Superman, so he can bring back their parents. My theater classified it as a children's movie and I can see why, although there are some heavier scenes like the one near the end with the mine. The heart and soul of the film really is (apart from Michael Jackson obviously) the younger boy and how he likes being called "my boy", but the older was good too and so were pretty much all the supporting characters that were written in an interesting fashion. The only part I wasn't too fond of was the story with the girl who played the love interest to the older boy. However, it was not so bad that it destroyed everything else. They just could have done without it.
Kader did a nice job with the ending too. It was clear there's no way they could manage to get to America, so he had to find another way to make it a true happy ending despite the main goal remaining unachieved and he succeeded. The many references to America (Superman, Michael Jackson...) could have turned ridiculous at some point, but it all works out well thanks to clever writing. This film has humor, heart and also some nice music. I really liked the scene were the two main characters meet again that involves Coca Cola. Definitely worth a watch.
Excellent Movie
evaris19 March 2013
I wasn't expecting much out of this movie. Looking at the movie poster thought it's just a funny kiddie movie set in Iraq but I was wrong. It was one of the best regional movies I have ever watched. The director has done an amazing job with the direction and working with the kids. The small kid was just out of the world, he cud easily beat the best when it comes to acting. I wonder why such kids don't get an opportunity on the bigger stage. The movie is sad but very funny at the same time. I can't imagine there are still innocent kids living like that even now, matter of fact in even worser conditions. I personally wud like to forget the sadder part and keep the funny moments in my memory, not that am not concerned abt their plight. I wud like to recommend this movie to everyone. This is must watch movie.
A Nutshell Review: Bekas
DICK STEEL18 February 2013
There's almost always something special about a director's first feature film, as the charm comes from its inherent rawness, and perhaps willingness to take greater risks to get something finished. And this lack of experience at the helm also meant an appeal that audiences would be more forgiving, and open their hearts out in giving the film a chance. The magnificence is, when it works, like Bekas, you're going to embrace it wholeheartedly and completely.
Writer-director Karzan Kader draws deep from his own personal experiences of having to escape Kurdistan, Iraq as a young kid in the 90s, to come up with Bekas, a road trip tale of hope, following two orphaned boys Dana (Sarwar Fazil) and younger brother Zana (Zamand Taha), who have to fend for themselves at every corner and turn, growing up under harsh circumstances with little adult supervision. They have to rely on their street smarts, brotherly love and loyalty to each other to get themselves through day by day, earning their keep as shoe shiners for pittance, and homelessness meant sleeping out in the open at any random, but available rooftops.
And you would be mistaken to think that Kader would take the easy route out and flood his film with plenty of melodrama, to tug at your heartstrings at the plight of the boys. Instead, he fills his narrative with plenty of anecdotes and shenanigans that the two boys get into, which often result in either one, or both, being at the wrong end of a slap, ear pull, or in terms of greater insult, the slipper. But this is a story about growing up, and growing a hide that's thick to ensure survival, that the boys will have you in stitches most times when they get to the central plot device - of getting out of their predicament, and relying on any of their own means possible to get to America, and meet their idol Superman, whom they hope to enlist in a fight against Saddam Hussein, and to resurrect their dead parents.
Despite being non-actors, both boys Dana and Zana are set to charm your socks off with their banter, sibling rivalry, and inevitably, love. Kader knows when to push the right buttons in crafting scenes that will make you root for them to escape impossible situations, or to cheer them on as they encounter adversity after adversity in getting to their eventual destination, which is "just miles away" on a map that looks more like one from a discarded Risk board game. Anyone who thought Quvenzhane Wallis from Beasts of the Southern Wild, should take a look at these two boys, who are naturals despite their penchant to raise their voice most of the time. Whether or not it's Dana finding first love, or Zana being disappointed time and again by his older brother, these two boys put on a masterclass performance that makes your heart go out to them.
Filmed on location, the cinematography is excellent, capturing scenes seldom seen by many unless you've travelled to the region. And there's no more to ask for when the visuals have aural accompaniment that accentuated mood to provide that extra dimension of feelings. Through a road trip, Kader manages to link scenes up perfectly, as the boys go from episode to episode atop their donkey, and every other conceivable mode of transport from cars to trucks, to evade detection and capture as they pass through guarded borders. Whether or not they reach their destination, would be immaterial by the time the story ends, painting a bigger picture of hope and love, narrative themes which are far more powerful than the fictional deity they seek to locate in a foreign land, whom they probably found in each other.
Bekas is one fine film set in the Middle East, such as Son of Babylon, that will endear. A definite recommendation!
Writer-director Karzan Kader draws deep from his own personal experiences of having to escape Kurdistan, Iraq as a young kid in the 90s, to come up with Bekas, a road trip tale of hope, following two orphaned boys Dana (Sarwar Fazil) and younger brother Zana (Zamand Taha), who have to fend for themselves at every corner and turn, growing up under harsh circumstances with little adult supervision. They have to rely on their street smarts, brotherly love and loyalty to each other to get themselves through day by day, earning their keep as shoe shiners for pittance, and homelessness meant sleeping out in the open at any random, but available rooftops.
And you would be mistaken to think that Kader would take the easy route out and flood his film with plenty of melodrama, to tug at your heartstrings at the plight of the boys. Instead, he fills his narrative with plenty of anecdotes and shenanigans that the two boys get into, which often result in either one, or both, being at the wrong end of a slap, ear pull, or in terms of greater insult, the slipper. But this is a story about growing up, and growing a hide that's thick to ensure survival, that the boys will have you in stitches most times when they get to the central plot device - of getting out of their predicament, and relying on any of their own means possible to get to America, and meet their idol Superman, whom they hope to enlist in a fight against Saddam Hussein, and to resurrect their dead parents.
Despite being non-actors, both boys Dana and Zana are set to charm your socks off with their banter, sibling rivalry, and inevitably, love. Kader knows when to push the right buttons in crafting scenes that will make you root for them to escape impossible situations, or to cheer them on as they encounter adversity after adversity in getting to their eventual destination, which is "just miles away" on a map that looks more like one from a discarded Risk board game. Anyone who thought Quvenzhane Wallis from Beasts of the Southern Wild, should take a look at these two boys, who are naturals despite their penchant to raise their voice most of the time. Whether or not it's Dana finding first love, or Zana being disappointed time and again by his older brother, these two boys put on a masterclass performance that makes your heart go out to them.
Filmed on location, the cinematography is excellent, capturing scenes seldom seen by many unless you've travelled to the region. And there's no more to ask for when the visuals have aural accompaniment that accentuated mood to provide that extra dimension of feelings. Through a road trip, Kader manages to link scenes up perfectly, as the boys go from episode to episode atop their donkey, and every other conceivable mode of transport from cars to trucks, to evade detection and capture as they pass through guarded borders. Whether or not they reach their destination, would be immaterial by the time the story ends, painting a bigger picture of hope and love, narrative themes which are far more powerful than the fictional deity they seek to locate in a foreign land, whom they probably found in each other.
Bekas is one fine film set in the Middle East, such as Son of Babylon, that will endear. A definite recommendation!
A glimpse into the extraordinary lives of Kurdish children in the 90's!
HarmanYonis20 February 2015
Bekas is the tale of two orphans, Zana and Dana in Iraqi Kurdistan. It is set in a period of time where the Kurdish people were living under rather humbling conditions and were still oppressed by the dictator Saddam Hussein.
This is beautifully portrayed in the movie trough the eyes of Zana and Dana. Besides being authentic in its portraying, the movie also accomplishes to be very witty and funny at the same time and makes you fall in love with the two interesting and different characters that Zana and Dana are.
This movie is by far one of my favorites and a must see for everyone, okay I am saying this 'partly' because I myself am Kurdish, but it really is a good drama, funny at times and more importantly very authentic. I definitely recommend this movie.
This is beautifully portrayed in the movie trough the eyes of Zana and Dana. Besides being authentic in its portraying, the movie also accomplishes to be very witty and funny at the same time and makes you fall in love with the two interesting and different characters that Zana and Dana are.
This movie is by far one of my favorites and a must see for everyone, okay I am saying this 'partly' because I myself am Kurdish, but it really is a good drama, funny at times and more importantly very authentic. I definitely recommend this movie.
Super Buddies
kosmasp22 November 2014
This is a great little movie (no pun intended), about friendship and about dreams. About growing up and about much more that covers part of life as well. It might seem impossible at times (especially considering what our main actors try to achieve), but it's always engaging enough to make you interested in what's going on currently.
With a movie like this, it's a question of how'd you end it. Because you do know that one thing will not happen. But then again, this movie has a way to show you that there can be more. That fate might intervene in your favor. Whatever that might be and whatever it will show you. The kids are really great and natural
With a movie like this, it's a question of how'd you end it. Because you do know that one thing will not happen. But then again, this movie has a way to show you that there can be more. That fate might intervene in your favor. Whatever that might be and whatever it will show you. The kids are really great and natural
Sweet, funny and with some sadness and tension too – not a masterpiece but it sure lives up to the unique premise
RainDogJr5 May 2013
Warning: Spoilers
The word "bekas" means orphans (or something quite similar). The film BEKAS (Karzan Kader, 2012) is set in the Iraq of Saddam Hussein. A couple of orphan kids living in that place during that particular period is, without a doubt, synonymous of a difficult story, that will probably worry the viewer. The orphans, two little brothers, do have a complicated life, they need to work, but they're too normal kids, innocents, ready to be blown away by the magic of cinema. BEKAS is in general a very sweet movie about childhood, in which the protagonists provoke empathy and charm, some great laughs and constant criticism to the Hussein regime as well.
The film begins with a little homage to cinema, 'cause in Iraq they love it too and when SUPERMAN arrives everything is worthy to can watch the images projected. It begins an exploration to the impact that a movie can have in a kid, and at the same the same a reflection of the influence the United States have on Iraq and the rest of the world – SUPERMAN changes the life of the brothers, who now want to travel to the United States to meet that superhero in person (that's the premise that's just too attractive to miss). The boys, is worth adding, don't really know how to localize America in the map and neither Iraq!
They're innocent but for us is sort-of difficult not to think I that issue that deals with cultural imperialism. Superman is famous in Iraq, as well as Coca-Cola and the king of pop Michael Jackson. However, and before you think of the film as criticism to the US, this is part of the comic side, truly hilarious stuff for moments, that more than anything just wants to celebrate kids and create meaningful situations. It's similar to what we got with EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED (Live Schreiber, 2005), with Ukrainian characters that are fans of American culture – the young man who loves hip-hop, Jackson and dresses himself like an African American, and the grandpa who decided to name his dog Sammy Davis Jr. Jr. in honor of the singer. It's very curious that in BEKAS the youngest brother decides to name Michael Jackson their (pet/transport) donkey! This kid seems to overact at first, but later it's clear that all is part of his (loud-mouthed) personality, and turns out very funny.
The dark side of the film has a constant: physical child abuse. To paraphrase a Hans Landa dialog, it's a hostile world for the orphans; and the director Karzan Kader achieves the transmission of that injustice feeling with some scenes that show adults mistreating the boys. The story goes for some common issues as well, typical dramatic stuff, and that's kind of annoying; the close relationship of the brothers, and their mission to get to the US, is threatened at one point thanks to a young girl (the oldest boy is in love with her). Still Kader manages to save the picture, and even has some time to give it a great dose of pure tension – the Iraq with military, people who want to get out of there illegally and explosive mines is present for the last minutes. BEKAS, being light-hearted, make us believe that the impossible will happen but at the same time it says that the best thing that could happen to a couple of orphans from Iraq is, simply, to remain together.
*Watched it on 01 May, 2013
The film begins with a little homage to cinema, 'cause in Iraq they love it too and when SUPERMAN arrives everything is worthy to can watch the images projected. It begins an exploration to the impact that a movie can have in a kid, and at the same the same a reflection of the influence the United States have on Iraq and the rest of the world – SUPERMAN changes the life of the brothers, who now want to travel to the United States to meet that superhero in person (that's the premise that's just too attractive to miss). The boys, is worth adding, don't really know how to localize America in the map and neither Iraq!
They're innocent but for us is sort-of difficult not to think I that issue that deals with cultural imperialism. Superman is famous in Iraq, as well as Coca-Cola and the king of pop Michael Jackson. However, and before you think of the film as criticism to the US, this is part of the comic side, truly hilarious stuff for moments, that more than anything just wants to celebrate kids and create meaningful situations. It's similar to what we got with EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED (Live Schreiber, 2005), with Ukrainian characters that are fans of American culture – the young man who loves hip-hop, Jackson and dresses himself like an African American, and the grandpa who decided to name his dog Sammy Davis Jr. Jr. in honor of the singer. It's very curious that in BEKAS the youngest brother decides to name Michael Jackson their (pet/transport) donkey! This kid seems to overact at first, but later it's clear that all is part of his (loud-mouthed) personality, and turns out very funny.
The dark side of the film has a constant: physical child abuse. To paraphrase a Hans Landa dialog, it's a hostile world for the orphans; and the director Karzan Kader achieves the transmission of that injustice feeling with some scenes that show adults mistreating the boys. The story goes for some common issues as well, typical dramatic stuff, and that's kind of annoying; the close relationship of the brothers, and their mission to get to the US, is threatened at one point thanks to a young girl (the oldest boy is in love with her). Still Kader manages to save the picture, and even has some time to give it a great dose of pure tension – the Iraq with military, people who want to get out of there illegally and explosive mines is present for the last minutes. BEKAS, being light-hearted, make us believe that the impossible will happen but at the same time it says that the best thing that could happen to a couple of orphans from Iraq is, simply, to remain together.
*Watched it on 01 May, 2013
I had a good time
abiduzzaman23 December 2021
A very well cooked movie by the director.
Thanks to those kids who made this film more enjoyable and more lively. Those two kids are gem.
Specially the smaller one. I think he has god gifted acting talent. I wonder how a 6 /7 years old boy act like a regular actor. It was mind blowing.
This film had a very great message.
People who love wold cinema should watch this film.
Thanks to those kids who made this film more enjoyable and more lively. Those two kids are gem.
Specially the smaller one. I think he has god gifted acting talent. I wonder how a 6 /7 years old boy act like a regular actor. It was mind blowing.
This film had a very great message.
People who love wold cinema should watch this film.
One of the best
zhyarshirwan16 March 2019
Yap
zhyarTheChosen27 November 2019
A LITTLE KNOWN GEM ! A MUST WATCH !!
postsenthil27 October 2019
Written and Directed by Kurdish director, Karzan Kader, Bekas (means parentless in Kurdish) is inspired by real life events which happened in Kurdistan region of Iraq in 1990. The movie narrates the story of two orphaned shoe-shine boys - six year old Zana (Zamand Taha) and the elder Dana (Sarwar Fazil). While the young Zana is feisty, the elder Dana, on the threshold of adolescence, is more worldly wise. After stealing a few glimpses of Superman from a hole in the wall of a movie hall, both Zana and Dana are in awe of Superman's powers. At once, they intend to go to America, where they believe Superman resides, to befriend him and live with him. They also plan to bring Superman back to their home to punish their tormentors and to resurrect their deceased parents. Zana even makes a hit-list of his tormentors topped by Saddam Hussein. They fashion their own innocent - yet, innovative - solutions to overcome the real world constraints they face like arranging passports, funds or border crossings. For their transport, they procure a donkey which sports a BMW logo on its forehead and christened by Zana as (yes.. oh yes..) Michael Jackson.
Thus unfolds a road movie which captures the eventful journey of its two young protagonists through a bleak landscape that is poised on the brink of war. In this journey, the young duo rendezvous with a bevy of varied and interesting characters representing a veritable microcosm of humanity in its myriad natures and predispositions. It is also a journey which would test and retest the resilience of their brotherly bond only to reinforce it stronger. There is also a minor sub-plot involving Dana's liking for a Helliya, a Professor's daughter.
Writer-Director Karzan Kader successfully juxtaposes the sparkling and almost immaculate innocence of his two young leads through their journey presented as a poetic pursuit of their dreams with the harsh realities of a world they inhabit which is torn by strife and poverty. In Zamand Taha (Zana) and Sarwar Fazil (Dana) who play the two brothers, he finds a set of non-actors who are complete naturals and play, nay, live their roles to perfection. They share a warm chemistry and charm their way effortlessly into our hearts. He peppers his narrative with several small characters which leave an imprint in the viewer - be it Baba Khaled (father figure), Mr. Osman (a friend of their father) or the old man they meet on the road.
Kader's movie presents his homeland as a place populated by essentially good and simple people who are roughened by the ravages of war, oppression and limited means. Cinematographer Johan Holmquist deserves a special mention for capturing the bleak landscapes with a surreal beauty.
A road movie that captures the strong bonding of love, affection and togetherness between its two young protagonists, this is also in equal parts a tale of hope, love and loyalty that is laced with delightful humour, moments of thrill, suspense, poignancy and warmth that is sure to tug at the viewers' heart.
Bekas was the opening movie at the Bangalore International Film Festival (BIFFES 2013) and has been appreciated at several international film festival festivals.
Thus unfolds a road movie which captures the eventful journey of its two young protagonists through a bleak landscape that is poised on the brink of war. In this journey, the young duo rendezvous with a bevy of varied and interesting characters representing a veritable microcosm of humanity in its myriad natures and predispositions. It is also a journey which would test and retest the resilience of their brotherly bond only to reinforce it stronger. There is also a minor sub-plot involving Dana's liking for a Helliya, a Professor's daughter.
Writer-Director Karzan Kader successfully juxtaposes the sparkling and almost immaculate innocence of his two young leads through their journey presented as a poetic pursuit of their dreams with the harsh realities of a world they inhabit which is torn by strife and poverty. In Zamand Taha (Zana) and Sarwar Fazil (Dana) who play the two brothers, he finds a set of non-actors who are complete naturals and play, nay, live their roles to perfection. They share a warm chemistry and charm their way effortlessly into our hearts. He peppers his narrative with several small characters which leave an imprint in the viewer - be it Baba Khaled (father figure), Mr. Osman (a friend of their father) or the old man they meet on the road.
Kader's movie presents his homeland as a place populated by essentially good and simple people who are roughened by the ravages of war, oppression and limited means. Cinematographer Johan Holmquist deserves a special mention for capturing the bleak landscapes with a surreal beauty.
A road movie that captures the strong bonding of love, affection and togetherness between its two young protagonists, this is also in equal parts a tale of hope, love and loyalty that is laced with delightful humour, moments of thrill, suspense, poignancy and warmth that is sure to tug at the viewers' heart.
Bekas was the opening movie at the Bangalore International Film Festival (BIFFES 2013) and has been appreciated at several international film festival festivals.
A funny ride through the saddest of stories
meydianarizki25 June 2022
I have watched Bekas and must admit it has certainly delivered something. Each of the kids' story, their surroundings, Iraq landscape under Saddam's regime along with the Kurds conflict can be a tempting subject for a heartfelt depressing drama. Bekas has managed to combine all and make us laugh. With all the empathy and the connection we made with the 2 kids, we still laughed. Perhaps how intact their innocence and spontaneity were portrayed was the secret behind such a good movie. Bekas is certainly not meant to be a comedy thou (in the classic sense); I think it is a real fantasy and an opportunity for a lot of us to reflect on what we had throughout our childhood.
Highly contrived attempt at cuteness
amit_imt200219 March 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Bekas is the expanded version of a 28 minute film released in 2010 by the same director, which I have not seen, but after seeing this how I wish I had! It would have saved me 2 hours of time and some money too.The expanded version comes billed as a comedy, the promising trailer showed two plucky and improbably young Kurdish boys embark on a naive journey to America to meet Superman, armed with nothing but their cinematic immortality, which guarantees that in films cute kids will survive ling enough to entertain us. The film at hand gives us the same story that the trailer promised, but what I hoped would be the OTT salesmanship of the trailer turned out to be the whole film itself. This comedy about two brothers Dana (Sarwar Fazil)10 years and Zana (Zamand Taha)6 years old is one of the most contrived films I have seen in a long time.I totally get the point that its a comedy but instead of making the scenes funny the director tries to make everything cute, artificial and hopelessly improbable.Take two young boys, dress them up in vests and jeans as impoverished, oppressed and destitute versions of James Dean and let them loose to do all kinds sweet stuff.I would be very scared to let my child watch this film, riding off on a donkey called Michael Jackson to America from Iraq to enlist the help of Superman is not the best adventure story especially since it shows them making hopelessly stupid decisions, even for their tender age.The donkey has a BMW badge on his head in a kind of clever anti product placement.However Coke gets a good ride on the donkey, Zana dreams of drinking so much Coke that he pees out Coke too,he surely has not heard of Mayor Bloomberg. In Bekas which means orphans, Zana gets slapped around casually at the drop of a hat, he says so himself to Dana,"If I got a Dinar for every slap you gave me, I would be a millionaire".This is not just tasteless but downright cruel depiction of how it may be all right to slap around a kid if he is Kurdish, poor, an orphan and trying to go to America, just for a few laugh's. Bekas might have been secretly funded by George W. Bush who is living in exile, since the film obliquely tries to make a case for American intervention against the tyranny of Saddam Hussain.W. is somewhat back in infamous limelight, being referred to as el Diablo(the devil) by Hugo Chavez in his UN General Assembly speech, as the TV channels try to make good copy out of his death. This is also a kind of poverty porn and takes all the wrong inspirations from Slumdog Millionaire and Majid Majidi's classic Children of Heaven.When we find it so difficult to connect with the people of middle-east it makes sense to use children and make the mainstream audience swoon over a stupid film and give them the satisfaction of reading subtitles because thats the cool thing to do. The actors are very good, they have amazing screen presence, especially the younger one whose shrill voice and animated face makes the film somewhat watchable, over its wisely economical 90 mins runtime.The older kid Dana is bound to become a teenage heart-throb, he appears straight out of a boy-band and will undoubtedly create headaches for parents as he grows up into a Hershy's mascot. The polished camera-work stands out as well, the saturated golden sepia color tone of the film tries to take advantage of the natural hues of the landscape but the same can be completely de- glamorized in the hands of a serious director.The golden glow of Bekas tries to warm the cockles of our heart on a subliminal level while the antics of the boys are much more in the face. Hopefully the Mr Kader will turn his attention to better material next time, he certainly knows how to shoot films. Or he may get lapped up by the Hollywood studios and direct the next summer blockbuster, The Hangover part 4 perhaps.This film is financed by Swedish guys, maybe they are acting out sadistic fantasies here, a very tiny fraction of what passes for comedy here will land people in jail in Scandinavian countries.This is Home Alone part 6(or whatever) masquerading as Children of Heaven part 2 with a dash of Cinema Paradiso.
Engaging and touching
Gordon-1117 July 2013
This is a story of two Iraqi brothers who were orphaned by Saddam's regime. They strive to go to America in order to find Superman.
"Bekas" may look cute in the trailer, but it is in fact a heartbreaking drama. The two young boys live in this harsh land, both geographically, politically. They have no money to live on, and are constantly bullied and even beaten up by other villagers. In order to survive, the older brother gives the younger brother a glimmer of hope by saying that they will go to America to find Superman. As the story unfolds, there is more heart wrenching incidents. What I find the saddest is the older brother's ulterior motive in what appeared to be a white lie. It is so sad that a bottle of Coca Cola is the closest they will get to experiencing the United States.
"Bekas" reminded me of Steinbeck's literary classic "Of Mice and Men" and the award winning film "No Man's Land". The plot is simple and yet engaging, touching many heart strings along the way. I hope "Bekas will get more widely seen and recognised, as it deserves to be.
"Bekas" may look cute in the trailer, but it is in fact a heartbreaking drama. The two young boys live in this harsh land, both geographically, politically. They have no money to live on, and are constantly bullied and even beaten up by other villagers. In order to survive, the older brother gives the younger brother a glimmer of hope by saying that they will go to America to find Superman. As the story unfolds, there is more heart wrenching incidents. What I find the saddest is the older brother's ulterior motive in what appeared to be a white lie. It is so sad that a bottle of Coca Cola is the closest they will get to experiencing the United States.
"Bekas" reminded me of Steinbeck's literary classic "Of Mice and Men" and the award winning film "No Man's Land". The plot is simple and yet engaging, touching many heart strings along the way. I hope "Bekas will get more widely seen and recognised, as it deserves to be.
The greatest Kurdish movies till date
zanaormany1 November 2018
Unfortunately there's not a alot of resources or much audience in Kurdistan but it didn't stop the hopes of having a worldwide award winning movies like bekas ,
the story , direction, cinemagraphy, acting , and the end are really good it absolutely desev 10/10
( bashtrenfilmy kurde )
the story , direction, cinemagraphy, acting , and the end are really good it absolutely desev 10/10
( bashtrenfilmy kurde )
Awesome child comedy Movie with serious background.
rameshmanjunath30 December 2013
The movie has created quite a buzz in Bangalore International Film Festival BIFFES 2013. Before watching, I had read the synopsis and felt this one is going to really start boring me at least some part of the movie. But seriously, i never felt bored even a moment through out the movie. Excellent direction with great choice of Camera angles and shot selection.
The shot above the lake till it shows the brothers on Long ears with celebrations is outstanding. The music or background score compliments the movie from start till the end. The performances by the two little boys are outstanding and the little one made me speechless.
Edge of the seat scenes and holding your attention till the end from the start is outstanding. Director Kader strikes the right chords with his direction and the length of the movie. The climax seems just right and very well shot.
The shot above the lake till it shows the brothers on Long ears with celebrations is outstanding. The music or background score compliments the movie from start till the end. The performances by the two little boys are outstanding and the little one made me speechless.
Edge of the seat scenes and holding your attention till the end from the start is outstanding. Director Kader strikes the right chords with his direction and the length of the movie. The climax seems just right and very well shot.
charming and heart warming road movie and coming of age story from Iraq
gregking427 October 2013
Warning: Spoilers
A charming and heart warming road movie and coming of age story from Iraq, Bekas is a superb, life affirming movie experience. Set in Iraq in 1990, the film centres around Zana (Zamand Taha)and Dana (Sarwar Fazil), two homeless Kurdish orphans struggling to survive in impossible circumstances and abject poverty. After seeing a Superman movie at the local cinema the boys believe that the superhero will be able to solve all their problems and make their lives better. They decide to head off to America, even though they have no money, no passport, and no form of transportation. But America is a beacon of hope for the two youngsters. Thus begins a wonderful odyssey that will test their close bond and loyalty and resilience as they overcome adversity, and at the same time open their eyes to some of the harsher realities of life. There is a wonderful rapport between Taha and Fazil, both non-professional actors who deliver charming and natural and engaging performances. Writer/director Karzan Kader has drawn upon his own personal experiences for the film. Bekas is a feature length expansion of his own 2010 short film, and he certainly packs a lot of incidents and adventures into its 97 minutes. He draws a wonderful contrast between the optimism, innocence, determination and sense of hope of the boys and the cynicism of the adults who have been hardened by the realities of life under the brutal regime of Saddam. Beautifully filmed by Kader's regular cinematographer Johan Holmqvist, Bekas captures both the sweeping beauty of the wide open spaces and the inhospitable environment of Iraq. There is plenty of wonderful humour throughout the film. There is also a look at the darker side of the country, with stark reminders of the war with the security guards and checkpoints, and the ever present people smugglers. Bekas is a deeply moving film that has broad appeal and is one of the standout films so far at MIFF.
SIMPLE & BEAUTIFUL
imarijiya8 June 2020
Truthful
miketrain-0187826 August 2020
Rip Off from Slumdog Millionaire !
velislava_201414 December 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Bekas is a lame rip off of Slumdog Millionaire (2008).
The writer and the director Kazan Kader just change the location from India to Kurdistan of Iraq. For sure with some changes in the story too .
In some interviews they mentioned : This film is based on the true story of Kazan in the 1990's. which doesn't make any sense because in Karzan Kader's IMDb profile is written :
Karzan Kader was nine years old when his family fled Kurdistan during the Iraq War in 1990. They settled in Sweden where Kader and his siblings were raised.
Beside all these made up stories and rip off, The thing that made this movie a bit famous is that it been shot in Kurdish language which most of the audience can't feel, hear, understand the mistakes and they read the subtitles which most of the movie was translated in wrong way just to make it cute to their ears.
However this movie was a waste of time for those who watched Slumdog Millionaire and for those who understand movies.
The writer and the director Kazan Kader just change the location from India to Kurdistan of Iraq. For sure with some changes in the story too .
In some interviews they mentioned : This film is based on the true story of Kazan in the 1990's. which doesn't make any sense because in Karzan Kader's IMDb profile is written :
Karzan Kader was nine years old when his family fled Kurdistan during the Iraq War in 1990. They settled in Sweden where Kader and his siblings were raised.
Beside all these made up stories and rip off, The thing that made this movie a bit famous is that it been shot in Kurdish language which most of the audience can't feel, hear, understand the mistakes and they read the subtitles which most of the movie was translated in wrong way just to make it cute to their ears.
However this movie was a waste of time for those who watched Slumdog Millionaire and for those who understand movies.
Close to my heart
jomc-7542924 May 2020
One of all the saddest Films about Kurdish People
lanko-274261 June 2020
What I enjoyed about this film is that what the director did was he put so much motivation in it to make people feel how Kurdish people feel in risk. This movie is a very good roadtrip film and should get a better score on IMDB Hollywood should make Kurdish Films. 8.5 for the ranking very clear film and enjoyable.
an adventure to dreams
DansLeNoir13 December 2019
Stunningly Painful
Nada157 November 2014
a very realistic story that reminds us of now days' children in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. that's what made it even more painful to watch. the story as simple as it is, it was so powerful and have a great impact on the viewer. It's easy to see a very great adult actors giving you a stunning dramatic performance, but to see this kind of perfection from little children it take your breath away. the movie won't be perfect without the beautiful and touching soundtrack. Great movie it gave me all the feelings a drama movie should give. it made me laugh, anxious, happy, sad, and extremely emotional. this is definitely a movie you won't forget.
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