Review: Microphone

(Microphone was screened at the Samosa Festival in Nairobi, Eastleigh.)

Review by Josephine Koima: Intern

Producer: Kareem Ghafour
Director: Kareem Ghafour
Screenplay: Kareemok
Duration: 9:10 minutes

This short film takes place in a Kurdish society, whose inhabitants are Islamic. A woman and her son are seen walking on a street and the young boy runs to the bathroom in a mosque. The woman isn’t allowed to go in. Worried that her son may be lost, she forces herself in, though after a brief confrontation with the gatekeeper.

It is interesting to note that although the gate keeper is a mute, he and Kamo’s mother are able to communicate and he evens helps with finding the boy. The boy, Kamo, runs off with a microphone that he uses to sing and equally chant a prayer as he had heard before. He’s reluctant to give it back, perhaps realizing the ‘powerful’ tools he’s laid his hands on. The innocent child is simply excited to express himself, and it’s thrilling to know that almost the entire town can hear him due to the microphone’s connection with the mosque’s speakers. This is one element that gives meaning to the film.

The distinct sounds draws one’s attention to the narrative- the sound of the mother’s boot, the water dripping at the bathroom, the sound of the gatekeeper cycling his bicycle. I would say that Soram Fahim did a great sound mix and editing. For example, in the scene where the boy is in the bathroom, he reads the writings on the wall, one can hear water dripping, the prayer being chanted at the mosque plus the film’s soundtrack, all at once. Subtle ‘rock and roll’ elements can be heard in form of music. Kamo plays the harmonica for a while before he grabs the microphone. The film music score incorporates a bit of what I would call jazz rock- there’s the distinct sound of a stringed instrument, probably a cello and drum beats.

The title ‘Microphone’ would make one focus on the microphone, hence the majority of this film’s plot focuses on the boy and what he does. However, there are some subtle themes that may arise e.g. there is the white scarf that the gate keeper gives Kamo’s mother, this and the brief moment of touch as she hands over the microphone. They seem to have bonded over the little incident with her son. The phone is a reason for the gatekeeper to see Kamo’s mother again.

Certainly, this film is provocative and refreshingly funny to watch.