In 1990s Iraq, 9-year-old Lamia must bake the President’s birthday cake. She scrambles to find ingredients for this compulsory task while facing potential punishment if she fails.
‘The President’s Cake‘, Iraq’s entry for ‘Best International Feature Film‘ at this year’s Oscars (though ultimately not nominated) is a stirring story about a young girl living in poverty who is tasked with baking a mandatory cake to celebrate the president’s birthday. Set in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq in the early 1990s, the film unfolds against a backdrop of economic sanctions and American bombers flying overhead in the aftermath of Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, telling a story that captures the harsh realities of life under the regime at that time.
Baneen Ahmed Nayyef stars as Lamia, a young girl who lives in the Mesopotamian Marshes with her elderly grandmother Bibi and her pet cockerel Hindi. They live in great poverty so being tasked with baking a cake presents a significant challenge, with access to even basic ingredients difficult due to their expense and relative scarcity given the sanctions. A trip into the city offers Lamia a chance to solve the problem, and she teams up with a boy from her school, Saeed (Sajad Mohamad Qasem), to try to source what they need from wherever they can.
Their journey brings them into contact with adults whose motivations are often unclear or sinister, their innocence set against the reality of life under Saddam, a morally complex world where everybody appears to be teetering on the brink. The child performances are moving, particularly from Ahmed Nayyef, who brings a determination and grit to her young character, while the direction from Hasan Hadi provides a vibrant portrayal of inner city life at the time.
The political situation remains largely in the background rather than driving the plot, but it’s felt throughout in the forced displays of patriotism and the masks people must wear to appear loyal to the president. That culture of fear underpins the poverty we see, shaping daily life in both rural and urban settings. I’m a sucker for a good coming-of-age story, and ‘The President’s Cake‘ is a strong one, blending its historical context with heartfelt performances to create something both intimate and quietly powerful.
Rating: 4/5
Directed By: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Sajad Mohamad Qasem, Waheed Thabet Khreibat and Rahim AlHaj
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