Director: Ruba Nadda
Cast: Arsinée Kanjian, Shawn Doyle, Fadia Nadda,
Jeff Seymour,
D
avid Alpay
Runtime: 90 minutes
Country: Canada
Language: English
Rating: PG (Coarse language)
" Sabah is an amusing, touching, human story. As Sabah
, Khanjian really carries the film; she is so vulnerable
initially, and it is quite wonderful to watch Khanjian
allow her character to blossom under the influence
of love..but there are many other levels to this story
and a complex structure of cultural issues holding
up the main narrative."
Liz Braun, Toronto Sun
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The latest film by Ruba Nadda (I ALWAYS COME TO YOU), SABAH is
a moving and graceful interracial love story that has
screened to wide acclaim and sold-out crowds at several
international festivals. Sabah (Arsinée Kanjian,
ARARAT) is a forty-year-old woman who lives at home
with her elderly mother (Fadia Nadda). Once a modern
Arab, Muslim family, they  adopted more conservative
values when Sabah 's father passed away unexpectedly
shortly after their arrival in Canada . Sabah has spent
years caring for her mother without complaint, but
years of sacrifice and heeding the commands of her
traditional brother Majid (Jeff Seymour) have begun
to take their toll. When she comes upon a photograph
of her father and herself swimming happily in the ocean,
Sabah decides she needs to get away. Exhilirated by
her sense of adventure, Sabah sneaks off to go swimming
as a birthday present to herself. While there, she
meets Stephen (Shawn Doyle), and after a few chance
encounters they develop an intimate connection. Before
long they're in love and the world feels like a better
place; things are going exceptionally well until Sabah
must face the wishes of those who will never allow
her relationship to flourish. Exquisitely shot and
acted , SABAH is
both a heartwarming love story and a reflection of
some of the issues that define a truly multi-cultural
country like Canada . Filmmaker Nadda has cast the
film to perfection; Kanjian, always a joy to watch,
shines as a woman with pure intentions in a complicated
world.
" Sabah is gently comedic, full of warmth
and, perhaps most importantly, believable. This film
has such a big heart you'll probably want to give someone
a hug while you watch it."
Robert Alstead, Common
Ground
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