From the Ashes Review – Some Smoke, No Fire
Director Khalid Fahad’s film “From the Ashes” is loosely based on real incidents and follows a school blaze that claims lives, including exemplary model student Amira Saeed, discovered locked in a storeroom. Was the fire accidental or arson? And was Amira merely unwitting collateral damage or a victim of deliberate malice?
Set in an all girls school in Saudi Arabia, “From the Ashes” starts off as a seemingly simple tale about grades, classroom rivalries, bullying, and envy. The nerdy Amira Saeed is constantly targeted by an unruly trio of friends, while her best-friend Rana, who is the principal’s daughter, does little to help. And when Amira dies in the school fire because someone locked her in the storeroom, her bullies become primary suspects and are subject to an internal investigation led by the principal of the school.
Despite its immense dramatic and emotional potential, the script plays it far too safe, is quite muddled in its themes, and ends up as an underwhelming film experience. While some of the cinematic elements of “From the Ashes” do come together well — from the believable school premises and conservative costumes to artistic shots that play with light and settings — the performances of majority of the actors feel subdued and withdrawn, and in some cases, even disinterested.
One of the most crucial aspects of the story is almost ignored, wherein the students and teachers are prevented from escaping the school fire because the main gate is locked from the outside, and the guard refuses to open it because they are not modestly dressed. This infuriating instance of moral policing taking precedence over innocent women’s lives is reprehensible. But nobody breathes a word about it later, even though the scenes do subtly highlight the regressive absurdity of it all. Instead of offering them water or first aid, the men first offer the girls their own headscarves so they can cover their hair and faces.
“From the Ashes” tries to be a character-driven story, but with a tight 90-minute runtime, in which over 20 minutes are taken up by the chaos of the blaze which engulfs the school, the characters don’t get enough space to make a lasting impact on the viewer. So when everything is said and done, it’s hard to care about anything that takes place. The creators should have had a sharper focus for this tale, instead of letting multiple issues and incidents dilute the storytelling.
“From the Ashes” is available to stream on Netflix.
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