The Times is committed to reviewing theatrical film releases during the COVID-19 pandemic . Yes, there are harvesters, packagers and users speaking to us, and a camera that captures a community dependent on and wary of its grip. It’s also a melancholic indicator, however, that while this is a beautiful culture, it’s in the grip of a monochrome economy that’s swallowing everyone. The heartbeat of Beshir’s film, though, is with its wandering young narrators — people looking for a way out of a homeland they love and worry for. Her threading of their collective searching presence, like lonely guides navigating an encompassing, self-medicated haze, is what gives “Faya Dayi” its dignifying, transfixing intimacy and what renders it unlike any other documentary you’re likely to see.

Source: Los Angeles Times September 16, 2021 22:52 UTC