One does not expect ‘melodramatic’ films like Sink, modern ones anyway, to have good visuals, and sure, this film doesn’t have capital C cinematography but the camera choices amaze here. Close-ups capture the intensity of the mental episodes of neuroatypical Jordanian teen Basil (Mohammad Nizar). There’s also shakycam, soft focus, all clockable but seemingly organic. It doesn’t come off as the director doing tricks.
Oh yes, this movie is about the child Basil but it’s more about his mother, that mother being Nadia (Clara Khoury), who takes Basil to the local pool maybe every week. She defends him even when her husband Jalal lets others make their snide comments. She lets Basil study for exams even if his school suspends him for violent behaviour.
Zain Duraie is a first time director, giving viewers a film like Sink, showing promise – even a scene where Basil puts on a pig mask. Horror tropes in dramas about severe mental illness can make some feel a certain way. But otherwise, she knows how to pull back, especially when Basil and Nadia have deep conversations.
Nonetheless, Duraie gives us a good drama about a woman who loves her troubled son – no fence nor ledge will stop her, and of course, the camera follows both. What’s within the frame is obvious yet necessary social commentary about Jordan and its infrastructure. She can go to a lot of places, but helping her son is harder due to stigma.
Image Credit: Courtesy of TIFF
- Rated: Unrated
- Genre: Drama
- Release Date: 9/7/2025
- Directed by: Zain Duraie
- Starring: Clara Khoury, Mohammad Nizar
- Written by: Zain Duraie
- Studio: Creative Media Solutions, Jordan Pioneers, Tabi360
