Bas Ya Bahar - Equal Before The Sea
Thoughts On: Bas Ya Bahar (بس يابحر , 1972)
Made by Khaled El Seddiq, this is the Kuwaiti film of the series.
Bas Ya Bahar is known to be the first feature-length Kuwaiti film ever produced. It emerges from the early 70s as a marker of Kuwait's 'golden era'. This period, between the 60s and 80s, is typified by significant cultural change incited by the discovery of oil in the region. So not only did the state develop significantly as a result of the rapidly growing economy supported by the export of crude oil, becoming one of the most prosperous in the middle eastern region, but with this came a cultural pluralism and liberalism in the country seeing it embrace modernity over traditional culture in many aspects. Bas Ya Bahar is a conscious reflection of this, depicting the economic hardship and brutal traditionalism known in Kuwait - as the opening titles introduce - before the discovery of oil. In this era before the 40s and 50s, Kuwait's primary export were pearls. As is depicted in Bas Ya Bahar, labour in this industry was largely overseen by debts with divers and sailors being entrapped by loans as to be able to leave home and dive for pearls for weeks or months at a time. Life for many in the industry would have hung on the whim of the sea with unsuccessful voyages leaving families in debt and servitude. And families themselves were bound by economic fortune and the well-being of their men with women holding traditional roles within the home and subject to arranged and forced marriage for the sake of economic standing. This commodification of the youth in particular forms the basis of the tragedy that is Bas Ya Bahar. The sea therefore becomes a symbol of the tumultuous milieu of the time that exasperates the unfortunate, pushing harder against those that push upon it, seemingly punishing those who dare to dream. Its overarching statement suggests that all are equal before the sea, yet not all must engage the sea equally; there are those who can stroll upon its shores and float in its shallows, and then there are those that must venture into the depths and survive its storms and hidden monsters; the sea besets upon these two different groups an entirely different lifestyle, one rhythmic and predictable, the other fickle and devastating. And such is shown to be that separating the rich and less fortunate, equal before the sea perhaps, but bound to its way opposingly.
With tremendous underwater sequences, a haunting soundscape and poignant plot, Bas Ya Bahar is an extremely impressive projection and enthralling time capsule of early Kuwaiti cinema. A low-quality version can be found on YouTube.
