In filmmaker Amrou Al-Kadhi’s feature debut, a young drag artist embarks on a secret affair with a straight-acting executive. Here’s our Layla review.
Queer coming-of-age films still feel like a rarity. They tend to play things safe and aim for something cutesy and palatable for larger audiences rather than dive into the real complexities of identity.
Writer-director Amrou Al-Kadhi’s feature film debut Layla feels like a breath of fresh air in that sense. Its protagonist isn’t a teenager searching for themselves, but a young drag artist (Bilal Hasna) still struggling to incorporate their family into their life. Layla has found community with fellow drag artists, but once they meet Max (Louis Greatorex), a marketing executive, Layla’s private life is thrust into disarray.
As we meet our protagonist, they’re already comfortable with who they are. The queer scene is a thriving community and Layla is a respected, well-loved performer, but their family still don’t know they’re a full-time drag artist or that they don’t go by their deadname Latif anymore. Layla isn’t so much a film about self-acceptance, but about doing what’s best for your happiness.
There’s a lot of graphic sex in Layla. If that’s not your thing, fair enough, but gay sex has rarely been presented this authentically. Al-Kadhi doesn’t try to turn the sex scene into Hollywoodified moments of passion with tender music and longing close-ups of people moaning. Because let’s be real, that’s not really how sex works.
Instead, we see a scene where a high heel is inserted into a body cavity. You could never call a film like Layla vanilla, but the intimacy in Layla feels much more authentic than your latest romantic comedy with A-listers and a famous director. Layla isn’t exactly a romance film, but its approach to Layla’s desire and need for companionship feels honest.
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Bilal Hasna gives a winning performance as Layla. The character can sometimes come across as frustrating, but Hasna infuses the character with such authentic vitality, it’s hard not to like Layla. The script, which feels a little stiff at times, manages to give Greatorex a lot to work with, but crucially, Layla’s friends are let down by the writing. They come and go from the plot and mostly just exist for Layla to reflect on their relationship with Max.
One of the film’s most important plot lines involves Layla’s sister Fatima moving to London. Considering none of Layla’s family know about their real identity, the move threatens to make Layla’s life considerably more difficult and, at worse, risks them losing their family. Unfortunately, there’s simply too many other storylines and this one doesn’t quite manage to get the attention it deserves.
As a whole, the film ends up being a bit all over the place. It’s charming and raises some interesting themes about queer identity and families, both chosen and biological, but the script could have done with another go to provide some more thematic clarity and smooth it out a little. That being said, thanks to its liveliness and humour, Layla does mark Al-Kadhi out as a director to watch out for.
Layla is in UK cinemas 22nd November.
