Jordanian director/screenwriter Amin Matalqa tells this tale of an elderly airline janitor mistaken for a pilot by the children of his neighborhood who does his best to inject a little imagination into their bleak reality. Abu Raed always wanted to see the world, yet the closest he ever got was talking to travelers as they walked through the airport and reading books about faraway places. The discarded captain's hat he sports gives the local kids the impression that Abu was once a pilot, and
seeing the grim realities that surround them all inspires him to play to their assumptions and try to make a difference in their lives. The first-ever independent film to come out of Jordan, Captain Abu Raed earned a much-coveted spot in the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Great taste isn't quite the same as great filmmaking, and director Matalqa sometimes lapses into broad humour and even broader melodrama in this generally low-key, wistful tale.
a genuine find, a humane and compelling movie of scale. Written and directed by Jordanian-American Amin Matalqa, it's a simple tale of airport janitor Abu Raed (Nadim Sawalha), who is mistaken for an airline pilot by the children in his working-class neig
Despite the film's flaws, there's something winsome about Abu Raed in his captain's hat, entertaining kids with visits to cities that exist only in his imagination.
...both the somewhat sentimental tale of a senior citizen making a change in the life of a child and a movie that forges its own path with unexpected developments.
This movie tugs at the heart strings without being sappy. There are several stories going on throughout the movie but they remain central to the one story of Captain Abu Raed. This movie is now in my top 10 movies ever. GREAT film.
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