It’s the beginning of summer, and fifteen-year-old super-bright Pakistani immigrant Mahmoud (Ahmed Mohammed) is sitting on the grass outside his family’s high-rise apartment in a poor area of Oslo, and considering his options with his best friend, one-eyed Arif (Imram Abdi Kedir). Their choices are limited given their ages, lack of money and the unlikelihood of them being offered work given their foreign names. Their rich white Norwegian counterparts will have very different summers. Mahmoud needn’t worry though. His summer is going to be very busy looking after his uncle Ji (Asim Chaudhry), who’s visiting from Pakistan, and dealing with his nine-year-old brother Alia (previously Ali) (Liza Haider), who has just told the close-knit, conservative family that they believe themselves to be a girl.
So treads Listen Up! (Hor Her’a’), a brilliant comedy drama debut film from Iranian director Kaveh Tehrani. Tehrani takes a deep dive into immigrant life and the challenges of forming your identity as a young powerless person in a traditionally Muslim religious family, whilst living in a liberal western country. How will the family cope with this? Based on Gulraiz Sharif’s novel of the same 
name, Listen Up! energetically explores issues such as identity, class, poverty, integration, gender, patriarchy and family through the lens of a fifteen-year-old. The often-heavy subject matter is, however, covered in a very easy, humorous manner which makes the story-telling easy to digest.
Tehrani combines great cinematography, a powerful soundtrack and vibrant use of colour with a very sharp script and potent performances to tell an important story. Ahmed makes the film as Mahmoud. His deadpan, hilarious narration, often directly to camera, shows a talent many more senior, successful actors lack. Haider too, shows a maturity beyond her years in playing the young Alia exploring their gender identity. Kedir also shines in his supporting role, as does Kriti Surjan Thepade as Zabaida, Mahmoud’s downtrodden cleaner mother who gradually finds her voice and strength. Selma Salim Rafique also shines as Arisha, Mahmoud and Alia’s teenage girl friend, neighbour and ally. The frequently teenage humour contrasts with the serious issues but Tehrani knows when to turn off the humour during the film’s more serious moments. He also gives a great analysis of the divide that can occur between eastern and western cultures. Funny details also make the film special, such as the naive Uncle Ji’s job unwittingly making gay men’s leather harnesses in a Pakistani factory. Queer Muslim story-telling on film can be quite intense so the humour and self-deprecation in Listen Up! is very refreshing. An excellent, boundary-pushing film.
Queerguru’s Contributing Editor Ris Fatah is a successful fashion/luxury business consultant (when he can be bothered) who divides and wastes his time between London and Ibiza. He is a lover of all things queer, feminist, and human rights in general. @ris.fatah
Labels: 2024, comedy. drama, Kaveh Tehrani., Listen Up, Norwegian, review, Ris Fatah
