Cabo Negro (2024): Review and Summary
“Cabo Negro” gives you a slice of life take on being queer and Muslim, but it may not have what many need to want to watch the full film.
Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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| Film Length | 1 Hour 16 Minutes |
| Advisory Rating | Not Rated |
| Release Date | October 19, 2024 |
| Initially Available On/Via | Film Festival – Newfest |
| Genre(s) | Drama, Young Adult, LGBT+, Non-English (Arabic), Non-English (French) |
| Distributor | To Be Determined |
| Director | Abdellah Taïa |
| Writer | Abdellah Taïa |
| Based On Work By | N/A |
| Character Name | Actor |
| Soundouss | Oumaima Barid |
| Jaafar | Youness Beyej |
| Jonathan | To Be Determined |
Plot Summary
Jaafar and Soundouss were given the opportunity by their teacher, Jonathan to spend some time at a villa in Cabo Negro. The Casablanca duo were excited until it became clear they would be forced to fend for themselves and do what it takes to maintain this escape from their lives.
Character Descriptions
Jaafar
Jaafar is a queer Muslim man.
Soundouss
Soundouss is a queer woman who is Jaafar’s best friend.
Jonathan
Jonathan is Jaafar’s former teacher, who he has spent time with outside of class, who rented the villa Jaafar and Soundouss are staying in.
Other Noteworthy Information
- Movie Contains: Sexual Situations (Implied)
Review
Our Rating: Mixed (Divisive)
Audience
“Cabo Negro” is geared towards those who like mundane movies that are very slice of life, with a few dramatic or worrisome moments which may not threaten the life of the lead characters but do force them into potentially uncomfortable situations (to put it lightly).
On The Fence
The Question Of Who Is This For And What Are They Trying To Say
The main thing you can get from “Cabo Negro” is a very low-key sense of what it is like to be queer in Morocco or as a Muslim. Beyond that? It doesn’t offer much. It’s a very dry film that doesn’t really set an endpoint. Will it be when the summer is over, after a week or month? What is going to fill up that time beyond Jaafar and Soundouss having to do sex work to survive?
Yes, the film presents a sense of community, as random people show up and are invited into the house for non-sex work activities, but ultimately, it feels like something listed as 74 minutes on the Newfest website that has to be a typo for it feels so much longer.
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