The movie, ‘A Stray’ was released on October 21, 2016. It was created by the writer and independent filmmaker, Musa Sayeed. It was directed by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun. The two were inspired to work on the film following a Somalian refugee because they are both Somali-Americans. The movie was even shot in the neighborhood where the director grew up. The creator, Sayeed, said in an interview that he wanted to film to show the diversity of Muslims and Somali people in America.
This movie was shown at the African Film Festival at Portland Community College. Walking in you are first hit with the sound of live music. Following that you smell the aromatic food being served. Filling the hallways are vendors selling African clothes, jewelry, and other nick-nacks. The entire event was very busy and lively. When it was time for the movie to start, there weren’t enough seats for everybody because of the huge turnout so we had to go to an overflow theatre in another building. Overall, everyone attending and working at the festival was very friendly and it was a wonderful experience.
The movie follows a teenage Somali refugee named Adan. He is at a friend’s house after being kicked out of his mother’s house for supposedly stealing her jewelry. Him and his friends get in a fight and he leaves, afraid to return. He ends up loudly staying in the mosque for the night. The priest says a pray for him, wishing him a steady path and a good friend. The next day Adan’s prayer is answered when he returns a watch he found in the bathroom to a man. This man gives Adan a job working at a restaurant making deliveries. On Adan’s first delivery he hits a stray dog with his car. He then completely forgets to complete the delivery as he looks for a way to get rid of this dog.
Throughout the movie Adan tries to give the dog away without avail. In Muslim culture dogs are seen as dirty and unpleasant. On his journey to get rid of the dog Adan meets many different people with different attitudes towards the dog. In the end, Adan is seen at a dog shelter considering whether or not to give to dog away because he had formed an unexpected bond with this dog. The movie ends without revealing whether or not Adan decides to keep the stray dog.
The movie maintains a very casual script throughout, the characters often switching between English and Somali. The way the movie is filmed is also very natural. It lacks fancy panning shots. This all gives the movie a very personal feeling. The characters are all very diverse and realistic because their dialogue doesn’t seem forced and the actors are all very talented. The movie shows realistically what life as a Somali refugee is like. This is probably due to the creator and director of the movie both being Somali-Americans.
The filmmaker's purpose was to give the viewer a very personal look at a community of people who are never shown in the media and I think he was very successful. The casual and unscripted tone throughout the movie really makes it feel realistic. It gave me a clear understanding of the culture in this little pocket of the world.