Displaying items by tag: The President's Cake movie

THE PRESIDENTS CAKE/ Mamlaket al-qasab

Iraq, 2025, 105 minutes, Colour.

Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Kheibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem.

Directed by Hasan Hadi

Iraq, 1990. Saddam Hussein is president, revelling in power, commanding complete loyalty from his subjects, celebrating his birthday with all Iraqis expected to bake a cake and eat it in his honour. It will be 13 years before the American invasion, his toppling, his execution and the experience of warfare in occupied Iraq and the continuing consequences and hardships.

That is the serious undertone of this film but, with a central character who is a nine-year-old girl, Lamia, there is also some lightness and playfulness.

Lamia lives with her grandmother, Bilel. in a poor village, very few amenities, on the waters, Lamia paddling her canoe to school, friendly with boy in her class whose father is a crippled pickpocket at a fair, the demanding teacher something of a Saddam Hussain lookalike, Lamia being chosen to bake the President’s cake for her class.

We the audience, live with the Lamia over the two days of preparation for the presidential birthday, travelling with Bilel into the city, a lift from a cheerful mailman who will help them in their crisis later, planning to get the ingredients for the cake, Bilel now unable to support limey trying to get a couple to adopt her.

When Lamia, upset at this, runs away, we spend a great part of the film wandering the city with her, experiencing all kinds of details of Iraqi life at the time, the happiness of the fair, hardship of work, going to pawn a watch, a sinister man who offers to take her to the cinema, her praying at the mosque, all the time accompanied by her rooster companion. And a crisis when she loses the rooster and searches.

In the meantime, with Bilel at the police station, her frantic, loud demanding help, her collapse, hospital sequences, and Lamia taken into custody.

There are large processions the city with a cross-section of people all marching, singing, chanting, loyalty and sacrifice of their souls for the President.

There is a cake, very modest, at the end, Lamia and her friend back at school. But then an epilogue with Saddam Hussain himself, happy with his own cake, and an adoring populace around him. If Lamia is alive, she would be 45, and we can reflect on what her life and life in Iraqi has been over these tumultuous years.  

1. A rare film from Iraq? The 1990 setting, the perspective from 2003 and the death of Saddam Hussein, from the perspective of the 2020s?
2. The setting, the rural village, the houses, the river, canoes, the school, the open roads, the city, the streets and buildings, shops, the fair, the mosque, police precincts, hospital…? Authentic feel? The background score, songs, Iraqi music?
3. The story of Lamia, born around 1980, in 1990, speculation about her subsequent history, 45 at the making of the film? The actress, her screen presence, persuasive?
4. At home, Lamia with Bibi, the old lady, her care, the details of the housekeeping, Lamia, helping Bibi, her studies, the sums? Her worries, back to school, the canoe, the other students, apprehensive about the teacher, want to go to the toilet, trapped, the allotting of tasks for the President’s birthday, her having to make the cake? The Privilege, burden, punishment for failure?
5. Saeed, her friend, the discussions, his father, going to the fair, pickpocket, their arrest?
6. The atmosphere of 1990, the rule of Saddam Hussein, the dictatorship, the repression of the people, the gift of one can of water per person, carrying the cans home, at school, the declarations of sacrifice for the president, the dedication, the teacher, resembling Saddam Hussein, his demands?
7. The issue of the cake, the ingredients, money, difficult? The decision to go to town, the shop, the buying of the school uniform, Lamia wearing it, going to the house, Bibi wantjng to entrust Lamia to the woman? Lamia’s reaction, running away? Bibi and her search, frantic, going to the police, her continued demands, the friendship of the mailman, his helping with the search, her collapse, going to hospital, her death?
8. The mailman, his personality, joviality during the ride, delivering both good and bad to everyone? His concern, helping the search, finally finding Lamia, taking her to the hospital, Bibi’s death, the arrangements for the funeral, the coffin, the burial?
9. Lamia and her running away, with her bag, but always with her rooster? The bond with the rooster? Going to the fair, on the back of the bus, meeting Saeed, his father arrested? Her reaction to Saeed as a thief?
10. The screenplay of the film, Lamia and her travels around the city, the possibility for the audience to appreciate life in the city at the time, the American threat, Gulf War, raids, the shops, trying to sell the watch carrying the load and getting the eggs,, bargaining, getting a forged money, going to the cake shop, ousted, the roosters, the manager, getting her rooster, taking her to the cinema, the sinister motivation or not, her running away? Going to the mosque, her prayer, Saeed leaving, the search for the rooster and not finding it? Perspective on characters, way of life, wealth and poverty, comfort, cars, the fair?
11. Lamia, after the funeral, with Saeed, his mother, the making of the cake, the ingredients, the teacher seeing it? Going to school, Saeed and the fruit, cake, the teacher giving his approval, and the singing of the of theme and self-sacrifice for Saddam Hussein?
12. The final prospect, the close-ups of Lamia, speculating about her future, especially with audience knowledge of what was to happen?
13. The epilogue, Saddam Hussein, his birthday, his smile, cutting the cake, the dictator and the population of Iraq and their loyalty?