Take My Breath is writer-director Nada Mezni Hafaiedh’s third feature film. It follows Shams (Amina Ben Ismail), a seamstress who lives in a small fishing community. There, she’s harassed by the married Abdelkhalik (Aymen Ben Hmida), who is obsessed with her. His wife, Namia (Sana Ben Cheikh Larbi), is a customer of Shams and is also taken by the woman. However, it is the fisherman Habib (Mohammed Mrad) who has stolen the 23-year-old woman’s heart. Though Shams’s mother is against it, her sister is supportive.
Unfortunately, when Abdelkhalik discovers his wife’s betrayal, he gets abusive and outs the secret Shams has been hiding: they are intersex, born with both male and female parts. Habib feels betrayed and made a fool. So, Shams moves to the city, where she/he/they find a decent job designing clothes with truly caring co-workers. However, Shams still must face themself and decide how they want to go about life. Will Shams continue with one foot in both or have surgery and choose one gender? Will Habib realize that he was acting irrationally? And where did Abdelkhalik run off to exactly?
Take My Breath does not resolve itself until the last few minutes. There’s no epilogue or some such, as arcs are not completed until the credits are about to roll. As such, there are moments where one is left wondering where the plot is heading. When Shams gets a tattoo with co-workers and then goes to a club, it is a wonderfully edited sequence. But it lasts a while and offers very little to the overall proceedings. The subplot involving Habib in jail is also not wholly satisfying, as he’s released off-screen, and there’s no real comeuppance for the corruption at play.
“Will Shams continue with one foot in both or have surgery and choose one gender?”
But, when focusing on Shams, her love life, career, and familial relations, the narrative is gripping. The exploration of what it means to be intersex and various people’s reactions to that fact feels authentic. Ismail is truly brilliant in the role, bringing humility but tenderness to both trying to be a female and a male later on. It’s a delicate balance that the actor nails.
Happily, Take My Breath surrounds the lead with a strong supporting cast. Hmida is terrifying as the violent married douche. Mrad is sweet and makes his characters’ feelings of betrayal come across as genuine, even if they are misguided. Larbi is delicate and wonderful, bringing a sense of hopelessness but determination to her part.
Take My Breath is a well-made and involving drama. The story structure means some sequences go nowhere, or at least seem to do so until the end is right there. Still, the cast is impressive, and the characterizations are perfect and realistic.
For more information about Take My Breath, visit the Leyth Production site.
"…the cast is impressive..."
