Kart Ahmar
Director: Nasser Al Tamimi
Stars: Bilal Abdullah, Mustafa Al Kaabi, Amal Mohammed and Ahmed Fairouz
Two stars
When does barracking for your favourite sports team become an unhealthy obsession? That's the central plot for Emirati film Kart Ahmar (Red Card).
Directed by Nasser Al Tamimi, the Arabic comedy (unfortunately, not subtitled in English) follows Hamid (Bilal Abdullah) and Obeid (Mustafa Al Kaabi): two warring businessmen, who also happen to be siblings.
Both support different Abu Dhabi-based football teams and the antipathy born from the rivalry has split into both their personal and professional lives.
Hamid is a bumbling yet likeable fool. He believes his sole existence is to support the football club Al Tadamun. As a result, both his wife and kids are avid fans, and his company is festooned with the burgundy colour of the team jersey.
In a winning scene, Hamid conducts job interviews and the candidate passes due to his knowledge of Al Tadamun. “My friend, this is knowledge. This is sophistication,” he beams when the new employee rattles of how many titles the side has won.
Meanwhile, Obeid’s love for the Al Ain club - and despise for his brother - has taken a toll on his health.
As a result, his journalist daughter (Amal Mohammed) – who works for an Arabic newspaper in Abu Dhabi Media, the publisher of The National – takes on a pen name, Mushaksa, and writes a series of popular articles on extreme football fans.
Each piece takes a subliminal shot at Obeid, which only serves to raises his blood pressure even further.
Then there is the case of Hamed’s footballing son Khalid (Ahmed Fairouz), who simply wants to play football for the UAE national team.
After a promising opening 15 minutes, full of quirky banter and the plot firmly established, Kart Ahmar falls of the rails.
The reason is the lack of pay-off. Nearly each scene juxtaposes the changing fortunes of both Hamed and Obeid, with everything pointing to a final showdown. And inexplicably, the 75-minute film wraps up in such an unwittingly jolting fashion that you wonder where the third act has gone.
It's a pity, as the lead performances by Abdullah and Al Kaabi are strong. The former particularly shines through his expressive face and timing, and is responsible for some of Kart Ahmar's biggest chuckles.
A more-rounded script, and the film would have been a goal.
sasaeed@thenational.ae
