Theeb

Name: Theeb
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Released: November 6, 2015
Duration: 100 min
Rating: 80
Cast: Hassan Mutlag Al-Maraiyeh, Hussein Salameh Al-Sweilhiyeen, Jacir Eid Al-Hwietat, Jack Fox

2015

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Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 28 Ratings

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7.2

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7.2	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 28 Ratings

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Theeb (US Trailer)

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Movie Details & Credits

Film Movement | Release Date: November 6, 2015 | Not Rated

Starring: Hassan Mutlag Al-Maraiyeh, Hussein Salameh Al-Sweilhiyeen, Jacir Eid Al-Hwietat, Jack Fox

Summary: 1916. While war rages in the Ottoman Empire, Hussein raises his younger brother Theeb ("Wolf") in a traditional Bedouin community that is isolated by the vast, unforgiving desert. The brothers' quiet existence is suddenly interrupted when a British Army officer and his guide ask Hussein to escort them to a water well located along the old1916. While war rages in the Ottoman Empire, Hussein raises his younger brother Theeb ("Wolf") in a traditional Bedouin community that is isolated by the vast, unforgiving desert. The brothers' quiet existence is suddenly interrupted when a British Army officer and his guide ask Hussein to escort them to a water well located along the old pilgrimage route to Mecca. So as not to dishonor his recently deceased father, Hussein agrees to lead them on the long and treacherous journey. The young, mischievous Theeb secretly chases after his brother, but the group soon find themselves trapped amidst threatening terrain riddled with Ottoman mercenaries, Arab revolutionaries, and outcast Bedouin raiders. [Film Movement]… Expand

Director: Naji Abu Nowar

Genre(s): Adventure, Drama, Thriller

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 100 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Stephen Holden

Nov 5, 2015

In Jacir Eid’s extraordinary performance, Theeb exhibits the composure, bravery and cunning of a little savage driven by animal instinct. Read full review

Joe Morgenstern

Nov 12, 2015

You’d never know Theeb was a debut feature from Mr. Nowar’s confident technique, and I found it astonishing, given the perfection of the performances, that all but one of the actors were Bedouin villagers who had never acted before. Read full review

Ty Burr

Dec 3, 2015

A mesmerizing coming of age adventure in an elemental setting, Theeb becomes both more allegorical and more specific to our historical moment the more you think about it. Read full review

Boyd van Hoeij

Nov 5, 2015

Though the pint-sized protagonist is never far out of sight, the film’s vision is anything but limited, as various encounters in the desert conjure a vivid picture of a world that has remained unchanged for centuries but that is quickly coming undone. Read full review

Marc Savlov

Dec 2, 2015

Sergio Leone and John Ford would likely both recognize Nowar’s film as an echo of their own Monument Valley adventures. Read full review

Ann Hornaday

Nov 25, 2015

As the quiet, compact vessel for roiling fears and ambivalence, Al-Hwietat’s Theeb winds up being a strikingly memorable character, whose deceptively simple tale possesses both haunting power and a whiff of prescient pessimism. Read full review

Mike D'Angelo

Nov 4, 2015

Part of the problem is that Theeb, while running only 100 minutes, takes nearly an hour to set up its basic premise. Read full review

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User Reviews

LeZee

Jan 24, 2016

About a young boy from the wild middle-east.

Right away seeing this film I was confident that it definitely would get nominated for the Oscars. Yesterday (14-01-2016) AMPAS announced the list and I got confirmed that. Born and raised away from their motherland, after learning filmmakingAbout a young boy from the wild middle-east.

Right away seeing this film I was confident that it definitely would get nominated for the Oscars. Yesterday (14-01-2016) AMPAS announced the list and I got confirmed that. Born and raised away from their motherland, after learning filmmaking in the west they returned to the root to make films about the native culture and history.

One such example was the recent Ethiopian film 'Difret' that brought on screen the gruesome culture still practiced and now this. These films are the hidden gems, something we won't get regularly in Japanese, English, German, Russian, et cetera films, due to variation in culture, history and geographical diversity.

This film is set in the year 1916, exactly a hundred years ago from now. But due to take place in the hot desert with gun fights, it looked a lot like a western genre. A story about a young boy named Theeb. When he went along with his elder brother to guide a British officer to a classified destination, he gets stranded and had to face some troubles to get back safely to his tribe.

Right from the beginning it focused only Theeb, but that's when he caught between during the World War I tension and some domestic conflict over pilgrim related. There's no clear picture what those are all about, especially if you got no knowledge about the history of this part of the earth. But something was sure that the British officer was looking for his regiment. So they became the subplots as the boy and his struggle was told through his eyes which is the prime plot. A simple tale, but everything was described through the actions, not the with the words.

"The strong eat the weak."

There were sufficient violence in the tale, but still not that brutal as we've seen in some of the major Hollywood flicks about the two World Wars. Considering the timeline of this narration and revolutionary movement, all makes sense, especially knowing a child involved in it. I don't know whether it was based on the real, but the depiction was natural and that's the commitment paid off very well in the end.

You won't feel like you're watching some middle-eastern film, more like a Hollywood or British film that borrowed cast and story with the original language from that region. I felt that way for many reasons and one of that was the awesome background score. And the landscapes, nothing less than the recent CGI extravaganza 'The Martian'. It's not red, but actual Arabian desert that very well utilised to narrate the plot.

Completely in Arabic language, but there're a very few English lines. It's not anything about related to religion and culture, but survival and revenge. Incidentally, this story and 'Lawrence of Arabia' takes place in the same year. I feel there's a connection between these two, not by mean officially, but like all the WWI and WWII films has the connections respectively. The common thing here was the Arab revolution, so I think this one is only the other side of the story of the title I mentioned in a very small scale.

Initially I thought it might be overrated like the last year's Oscars nominee 'Timbuktu'. But good to know it was much better, the opening 10-15 minutes looked so different and then I came to know it was only an introduction to what comes after.

Excellently written and beautiful cinematography, as well it definitely does not look like the director debuting with this. It's great effort from both the cast and the crew. I congratulate the whole team for earning the Oscars nod. And for you guys, it is a very good movie and I hope you are going to watch it after reading my review.

8/10… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Christopher_G2

Feb 22, 2019

Theeb, directed by Naji Abu Nowar, is a powerful drama about two Bedouin brothers and the bond they share during their struggles during the first World War within the chaotic mess of the splintering (and soon to no long exist) Ottoman Empire. The elder brother Hussein agrees to help a whiteTheeb, directed by Naji Abu Nowar, is a powerful drama about two Bedouin brothers and the bond they share during their struggles during the first World War within the chaotic mess of the splintering (and soon to no long exist) Ottoman Empire. The elder brother Hussein agrees to help a white British soldier reach a certain secret destination, while as the trip begins the considerably younger brother Theeb (meaning “Wolf” in Arabic or Turkish), without invitation, opts to tag along on, and then must join the perilous journey which will force him to grow up beyond his years. It is a lawless land with bandits and warlords, and a particularly perilous situation turns all on its head, and leads to gut-wrenching choices. The two performances by Jacir Eid Al-Hwietat as Theeb and Hussein Salameh Al-Sweilhiyeen as Hussein are very good. There are other standout roles, including that of an unnamed bandit who gets involved with Theeb, played by Hassan Mutlag Al-Maraiyeh; in this latter relationship an interesting and tense dynamic is created between the two males contrasting much more in lifestyle, personality, and age than between Theeb and Hussein. This film’s journey is combines emotionally powerful scenes with incredible tension-filled ones, next to one another or blended almost seamlessly. The story in not a conventional coming-of age one, and you can’t really guess where it takes you next. Add to these strengths the terrific acting, and some beautiful cinematography, and you have a film more than worthy of its efficient 100-minute running time. Nowar in his directorial debut and also as a co-writer does an impressive job. Theeb, though not perfect, really should be seen as it is a stunning experience.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

EpicLadySponge

May 17, 2016

Theeb looks pretty interesting to watch or maybe it was me because I usually think of the same thing for literally every single second after watching it for a minute or two.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

DavidinBC

Jul 1, 2016

Almost everything about this movie is wonderfully gritty and often understated. The nature of the conflict in Sri Lanka, the questionable measures taken by refugees when fleeing for safety, the hardships of adjustment in a new country, and the reality that conflict is omnipresent, especiallyAlmost everything about this movie is wonderfully gritty and often understated. The nature of the conflict in Sri Lanka, the questionable measures taken by refugees when fleeing for safety, the hardships of adjustment in a new country, and the reality that conflict is omnipresent, especially among the underclass. Unfortunately the climax is ripped out of a Die Hard movie ...… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

netflic

Feb 7, 2016

The name of the movie is a boy's name which means Wolf.
The movie is set in Arabia in 1916. It is a fresh and interesting glimpse into Bedouin tribes' life through the boy's eyes. Their harsh nomadic life in a desert, established for centuries, gets destroyed in front of them.
Empires fallThe name of the movie is a boy's name which means Wolf.
The movie is set in Arabia in 1916. It is a fresh and interesting glimpse into Bedouin tribes' life through the boy's eyes. Their harsh nomadic life in a desert, established for centuries, gets destroyed in front of them.
Empires fall apart, Bedouin trades that provided them their livelihood, become obsolete.The theme of the movie seems to be " The strong eats the weak". That is the message that the elders pass to their young. I am not going to contemplate whether or not that message is still valid exactly one hundred years later, even though that could be an interesting topic for discussion.
Cinematographic-ally the movie is pleasant to watch, acting is decent, directing could be better in my opinion. Overall, the movie definitely deserves to be seen.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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