Review of The Blue Caftan

Sad, slow but engrossing Moroccan film about a man who works as a maker of embroidered kaftans, and his wife who is dying of cancer. Their business is struggling, the wife suspects their new apprentice of stealing from them, and the husband is secretly gay and goes to the hamam for casual sex with men.

Why this is described as a comedy completely escapes me. There are no laughs, though the couple laugh at something once in the film. It's about death, grief, deception, love and sex, and also about craft skill. Along the way I learned something about Moroccan society and customs, especially death and funeral customs.

This was on Channel 4, but we watched it on an old fashioned hard disc recorder at Minnie's rather than on catch-up.