Film Review: A Day in the Life of Karima a Henna Girl
Written by: Jan Alex
KARIMA: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A HENNA GIRL (2015) DIR. HASSAN HAJJAJ
It is always special when an artist takes us behind the scenes, to the source of their inspiration, and into the lives of their subjects. It is an even greater experience when that insight is offered in the form of a full-length documentary that is both a visual and auditory feast, as is the case with Hassan Hajjaj’s 2015 film “Karima: A Day in the Life of a Henna Girl”. Screened at Fotografiska Museum in conjunction with his ongoing exhibit Vogue: The Arab Issue, the documentary is a fitting accompaniment to Hajjaj’s remarkable body of work and stands on its own as a commentary on western misconceptions of beauty and gender in the Muslim world.
Created as a follow up to Hajjaj’s groundbreaking portrait series “Kesh Angels”, the Marrakesh set film delves into the daily lives of the biker women of Marrakesh, who Hajjaj dubs the Kesh Angels, a play on the names of western biker gangs and a nod to the pop culture influences of their forward-thinking fashion style. The film’s focus is on a particular Kesh Angel: Karima, a henna artist, mother, wife, and undeniable street icon. A graduate of what Hajjaj has called “Jamaa Fena: the university of street life”, Karima makes for a compelling main character and her friends and partners make for an equally colorful and fascinating cast.
The film begins with Karima readying herself for the day of work. As she gets dressed in her traditional clothing and applies make-up in the opening scenes it quickly becomes clear why Hajjaj chose her as the focus of the film. She applies trendy eyeliner before donning her veil and her traditional djellaba, handmade from colorfully patterned modern fabric leaves her hands, covered entirely with henna tattoos, on display. As she makes her way to the market for a day of work, Karima fist bumps her friends and flips through her phone while her other hand deftly guides her motorcycle through narrow streets and alleyways of Marrakech. In other words, she is kind of a badass.
However, the stereotype smashing does not stop there. In the market Karima and her entourage have a reserved space and as they set up their cluster of chairs and umbrellas men from the local cafes bring them tea and breakfast, a subtle representation of flipped gender roles and an assertion of both the Henna girls’ reputation in the marketplace and their independence. It is the little things like this that make Hajjaj’s film so memorable and so rewarding. Unlike his photographs, which are stylistically saturated and explode with color and energy, this film is all about the subtle details and moments that show us what makes Karima and her friends so unique and what drew Hajjaj to them in the first place.
As a documentary, “Karima: A Day in the Life of A Henna Girl'', is both informative and enlightening, and as a work of art a visual feast. What is most remarkable is that Hajjaj does it all without himself uttering a word. Everything offered about Karima’s life and experience comes from her own mouth, her own natural dialogue with her customers and friends and it’s all on her own terms. In this sense the film seems to be a way for Hajjaj to give back the microphone to his subjects, to let them tell their story instead of constructing it for them. It is a brave concept, but as Karima herself says to her first customer of the day, “If one works with honor and dignity, why should one be afraid?”
