A Missing Teen Exposes Society’s Limits in Rich Drama

It takes a detour from a pilgrimage to Mecca to uncover true enlightenment in “Hijra,” Shahad Ameen’s compelling sophomore feature, in which the sudden disappearance of one of the two young women in the care of their devout grandmother upends their sacred ritual of Hajj. Selected to represent Saudi Arabia in the Oscars’ international feature race, the intelligently crafted drama shows that in order to find the missing young woman, Sitti (Khairiah Nathmy) and her remaining grandchild Janna (Lamar Faden) must develop greater faith in themselves as they make their way across the country. The writer-director takes a refreshingly less well-trodden path to illustrate cultural strictures that shape their experience.

Ameen’s inspired approach can be seen from the film’s very first frames, as snow is wiped away from the windshield of a bus headed to the holy land, yet the effort to clean only obscures the image. It’s a sneakily appropriate introduction to Sitti, who appears to demand piety from others, eternally cloaked in a pristine white abaya, yet will do what’s convenient for her when the situation calls for it. The director sets the film in 2001 ahead of any upheaval in the country after the U.S. invasion, but “Hijra” imagines a conflict of another kind already stirring when Westernized fast food chains and waxing salons have become a part of a society where camels can still be seen roaming around on thoroughfares.

The sands don’t seem to be shifting quite fast enough for 18-year-old Sarah (Raghad Bokhari), whose headphones — which she uses to tune out any noise on the bus — are a clue that she may not be around for the whole ride. At one point, she disappears into the crowd of worshippers that overwhelms the younger Janna. Later, it is revealed she had plans to cross the border with a boyfriend.

At first, it could seem a little too convenient that Sitti and Janna have no trouble finding a driver to help them search for Sarah, as Ahmed (Nawaf Al-Dhufairy), a salesman Sitti spots in the streets of Taif, quickly comes to their aid, asking for whatever Sitti wants to pay. But when his kindness isn’t rooted in any profound belief — he thinks nothing of selling water promoted as holy that he got from a tap — Ameen slyly sets the stage for a religious journey where everyone has to come to define the principles they want to live by on their own.

The director refrains from forcing any grand epiphanies on the characters, instead exposing the oppressive systems that form their decision-making and complicate even the most basic of interactions. There shouldn’t be much tension in a scene where Ahmed finds himself stuck in traffic awaiting a checkpoint, but one little white lie after another begins to mount up in his truck to create incredible anxiety. First, he asks one of the women to sit up in the front, since looking like a family will make it easier for guards to wave them through. At the same time, not wanting to answer the girls’ father, Sitti hands her cell phone off to Janna and asks her to say she’s with her aunt. These seem like minor trespasses, but when no one feels comfortable telling the truth, the influence such behavior has on the 12-year-old Janna becomes concerning.

Bringing that more psychologically treacherous road to mind over the practical obstacles that Sitti, Janna and Ahmed might typically be expected to face as they try to locate Sarah keeps “Hijra” engaging. Although the film slightly loses some of its momentum after its central mystery is mostly wrapped after its first hour, Ameen still finds intrigue in the characters’ search for who they are, separate from who they aren’t allowed to be.

Nathmy, Al-Dhufairy and Faden all deliver fine performances where the subtlest changes in attitude register as major moments and Nathmy, in particular, gives a moving turn as Sitti, appearing to break new ground for herself as she reflects on pilgrimages she’s made decades before. The idea of making a run for the border may be incomprehensible to the grandmother, but Ameen imagines many different paths to freedom, opening up all the more opportunities to attain it.