Faya Dayi

Name: Faya Dayi
Genre: Documentary
Released: September 3, 2021
Duration: 120 min
Rating: 81

2021

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Universal acclaim based on 13 Critic Reviews

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Movie Details & Credits

Janus Films | Release Date: September 3, 2021 | NR

Summary: Ethiopian legend has it that khat, a stimulant leaf, was found by Sufi Imams in search of eternity. Inspired by this myth, Faya Dayi is a spiritual journey into the highlands of Harar immersed in the rituals of khat, a leaf that Sufi Muslims chewed for religious meditations – and Ethiopia’s most lucrative cash crop today. Through the prismEthiopian legend has it that khat, a stimulant leaf, was found by Sufi Imams in search of eternity. Inspired by this myth, Faya Dayi is a spiritual journey into the highlands of Harar immersed in the rituals of khat, a leaf that Sufi Muslims chewed for religious meditations – and Ethiopia’s most lucrative cash crop today. Through the prism of the khat trade, Faya Dayi weaves a tapestry of intimate stories of people caught between violent government repression, khat-induced fantasies and treacherous journeys beyond their borders, and offers a window into the dreams of the youth who long for a better life.… Expand

Director: Jessica Beshir

Genre(s): Documentary

Rating: NR

Runtime: 120 min

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Critic Reviews

Robert Abele

Sep 17, 2021

In eschewing directness of intent for the artful massaging of space, sound and rhythm, Beshir’s film — a very personal project for the Mexican Ethiopian director, which she shot over 10 years — stakes a richer claim to our sense of the place and the effect of its most lucrative crop. Read full review

Allan Hunter

Apr 30, 2021

Jessica Beshir’s hypnotic, immersive and very beautiful documentary marks an impressive feature debut. Read full review

Nicolas Rapold

Sep 2, 2021

Unifying this elliptical canvas is the sense of a contemplative search, which can also mean an escape from an altered homeland, perhaps to dull what feels lost. Read full review

Guy Lodge

Apr 30, 2021

Faya Dayi is predominantly a mood piece that seeks to evoke the leaf’s own perception-altering properties. Read full review

Cheyenne Bunsie

Jun 23, 2022

There is an entirely straightforward way of making a docudrama about this subject, yet Beshir’s bold approach leaves much more of a lasting memory. Read full review

Christopher Machell

Jun 21, 2022

If not in the right frame of mind, Faya Dayi is difficult to get a handle on. But that, perhaps, is the trick. Instead of trying to pin the film down and understand it logically, surrendering to its poetry and rhythms reveals something altogether more meaningful. Read full review

The Guardian Peter Bradshaw

Jun 20, 2022

When the wisps of khat smoke clear away, it is perhaps not easy to decide exactly what is left behind, or to decide if khat is a cultural practice to be celebrated or rejected: but there are some marvellous images and moods in this misty, impressionistic study. Read full review

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