Lamya’s Poem review: A secret animated gem blends fantasy and real war

Lamya’s Poem is a hidden gem, a film that defies expectations for contemporary American animation however could resonate with followers of worldwide tasks like Cartoon Saloon’s The Breadwinner. The direct-to-streaming launch comes from nonprofit training studio Unity Productions Basis, based by speaker and author Alexander Kronemer, who wrote and directed the movie. It follows a brilliant younger woman named Lamya (Millie Davis), who finds solace within the poetry of Thirteenth-century scholar Rumi (Mena Massoud) after she’s pressured to flee from her hometown of Aleppo in the course of the Syrian Civil Battle.

The film tackles three intertwined plotlines: Lamya’s escape from Syria, Rumi’s comparable emigration after a Mongol invasion, and a gathering between the 2 of them in a wierd fantasy world, the place they encounter metaphorical beings that signify the risks every of them faces. On their very own, any of those plotlines might carry an entire film. Lamya struggles to maintain her head excessive when all hope is misplaced. Rumi wrestles along with his want for revenge, which overcomes his devotion to his poetry. And within the dream realm, the 2 of them meet up and uncover a mysterious metropolis below assault.

Picture: Unity Productions Basis

When Kronemer brings them collectively, nonetheless, they generally detract from each other — particularly the fantasy plotline, which often undermines the characters’ particular person journeys. Nonetheless, on the film’s climax, all three threads merge, with Rumi’s poetry stringing them collectively, and it synergizes into a lovely, evocative second.

The gorgeously rendered backgrounds assist bolster that magnificence. Lamya’s Poem has its limitations, notably within the stilted character animation, however the exquisitely painted surroundings greater than makes up for it. The fantastical dream world has probably the most eye-catching visuals, however even mundane backgrounds in Lamya’s hometown streets or Rumi’s desert trek are lovingly rendered. And that artistry isn’t reserved solely for the rosy moments. Among the film’s most tough scenes — Lamya and her mom on a raft from Syria, Lamya alone in a refugee camp — resonate all of the extra when the surroundings performs such an enormous position.

Picture: Unity Productions Basis

Lamya’s Poem attracts parallels between the Syrian refugee disaster (together with the bias Lamya faces when she results in an unspecified European nation) and Rumi’s personal emigration from Samarkand after the Mongol invasion. These are weighty themes, however Kronemer avoids exhibiting express violence. As an alternative, he makes use of poetry to string his darkish storylines collectively. Lamya repeats one explicit Rumi poem about reeds lower from their supply all through the movie, and because the film progresses, the which means behind the phrases turns into increasingly more obvious — Lamya and Rumi are each lower off from their homelands.

And that concept connects them, simply as a lot because the precise poem offers them a hyperlink that stretches throughout time. There aren’t as many poems on this film as a narrative about poetry might need, however that simply emphasizes the significance of the actual piece Lamya latches onto, which Rumi himself composes within the flashback. It’s a testomony to the facility of poetry and artwork, and the way it hyperlinks folks collectively by time and resonates with human truths unchanged all through centuries. Lamya’s Poem shares the transcendental influence artwork can have by being a particular piece of artwork itself.

Picture: Unity Productions Basis

Lamya’s Poem is on the market to lease on Amazon, iTunes, Apple TV, Vudu, Google Play, and different digital platforms.