Nova Frontier Film Festival Presents BAB SEBTA Review – Frescoes of Life

Posted on by Cassidy Junyi Zhou

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We see children running around the ash-colored cars as we hear their laughter. We see young people sitting beside a caravan, their heads thrown down in concentration, busy engaging in an ongoing board game. We see a man in purple putting down a picnic basket in his hands and strives to move a malfunctioning vehicle. We also see, with curious eyes, people resting in their cars with their legs dangling outside; a white cop car resting at an intersection, its presence so strong that it almost fills up the entire screen, just to name a few. Eventually, the realm of Bab Sebta (Ceuta’s Gate) becomes familiar to us, as we witness the turbulence under the seemingly calm exterior of the film’s world.

Nova Frontier Film Festival Feature Chronicles Lives in Ceuta

Randa Maroufi’s Bab Sebta centers around Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in Morocco. There exist two kinds of viewpoints in the film: one above the ground, like a surveillance helicopter; the other remains at eye-level, which is similar to the perspective from a patrol car. Together, they present to us the tug of war between the regulators and the civilians.

The different sections have been planned out beforehand in Ceuta, as we can recognize from above. The white lines and the alternating green and red lines not only mark out the zones but also brings a little color to the film. Men in monotonous uniforms kneel down on the ground, their hands pressing their bodies up, attempting to do push-ups; girls in white dresses and their mothers are conversing with the police officers, their faces obscure when seen from the sky. Everyone is minding their own business in the same period of time.

At eye-level, we can see women draped in colorful flowy gowns sitting on wooden benches, waiting. Bed linens, pillows, and clothes are laid out in front of them. After a while, their husbands or sons would come and help them to heap their personal belongings up into a pile, just like stacks of hays on ranches. Bundles in large or small masses are slowly emerging in vibrant colors, and besides them sit the women with their families, awaiting to be inspected. The lives of people in Ceuta are interweaved into one in this film as they gradually come alive in front of our eyes.

Bab Sebta is recommended to people interested in learning about global cultures and traveling. However, this viewer finds this film to be a bit tedious, perhaps due to the lack of plot and its experimental nature, notwithstanding the special filming techniques. If you are looking for something stimulating, this one may not live up to your expectations.

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Length: 19 minutes

Written and Directed by Randa Maroufi

Cast: People living in Ceuta

For more information or to view this film, visit the Nova Frontier Film Festival webpage for Bab Sebta.

Images courtesy of Nova Frontier Film Festival

Cassidy Junyi Zhou
Cassidy Junyi Zhou

About the Author: Cassidy Junyi Zhou

Cassidy Junyi Zhou is a rising sophomore at Vassar College pursuing a B.A. in English and Film Studies. She was born and raised in Chongqing, China, a city known for its rich Bashu culture and spicy food. In her free time, Cassidy enjoys watching movies, reading, and daydreaming about having a pet cat in the future. She is currently learning French (because of her interest in French avant- garde cinema!) and trying to master the art of cooking.

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