Embedded in Salé, Morocco, is Maryam Touzani’s intimate meditation on love, mortality, and artistry. She invites us into the quiet, newly-revealed story of a caftan store, run by husband and wife Halim (Saleh Bakri) and Mina (Lubna Azabal), and their journey with the fresh and attractive apprentice Youssef (Ayoub Missioui), a blue silk caftan, and Mina’s illness. The Blue Caftan is a tripart love story between three characters, weaving through philosophies of loyalty, respect, and companionship.

Touzani does well to capture the historic practice of caftan construction with as much detail and consideration the practice requires. In 118-minutes, each frame is so richly considered, with the composition, cinematography, and character inquiry immersing us into multiple perspectives and leaving a twang in your heart. The warm light spilling in through windows at the store, in their house, or through the streets, contributes to the tenderness the characters feel towards one another and the overall feel of the film. Silence is a vehicle for meaning, conveying the jealousy, pain, and devotion of Mina and Halim, even when Halim’s attraction to men could separate them. Intimate footage of a gleaming gold wedding band in darkness, hands caressing a neck or scissors being used by two is enough to communicate what remains unsaid. Diegetic sound is aptly used to pull us in further, constructing a modest world reflective of the story.

Commentary on capitalism, consumerism, and unconventional love reflects the significance of human care and craft. We are left dwelling on the unjustness of mortality as we see Mina hold on to her vibrancy as the tangerines begin to rot and the caftan, in its final stages of completion, come to a halt.

Inspired by a black caftan owned by her mother, Touzani created The Blue Caftan with intention of illustrating the investment and love required to make such a garment, and the connection between creator and receiver. True, artisanal craftsmanship of caftans is slipping away as more efficient and soulless practices emerge, and The Blue Caftan is a story emphasising what can only be described as finding quality throughout your lifetime.