Directed by Amrou Al-Kadhi
When Layla, a struggling Arab drag queen, falls in love for the first time, they lose and find themself in a transformative relationship that tests who they really are.
愛神來啦
USA Sundance Film Festival 
UK BFI Flare London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival UK BFI London Film Festival 
Taiwan Taiwan International Queer Film Festival 
Canada Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 
Australia Mardi Gras Film Festival USANR 
Germany16 
Poland 
Netherlands16 USANR Australia Canada Germany Netherlands Poland Taiwan UK USA 
the fuckass boyfriend: i think they/them pronouns are weird
also the fuckass boyfriend: here's a painting of a gay tentacle porn orgy i made 🥰
Wow, this really blew me away. I don’t think I’ve seen a more empathetic and delicate portrayal of interracial and queer relationships, and the negotiation with self at each intersection. Bilal Hansa delivers an excellent and lived-in performance. Filmmaker Amrou Al-Kadhi asks unsolvable questions and dares not to answer them. Perfect ending
“I swear half of those rubbish bags were full of jizz!”
A trans performance artist struggles in a new relationship when a new boyfriend seems to want to dial down the flamboyant style as well as not being able to be who she/they are in front of their muslim family.
I loved the love story between them, it was really sweet and endearing. Loved the fabulous costumes, make up and hair.
The shining star of this is Bilal Hasna as Layla who is amazing, exceptional performance.
I think that the script could have done with a bit of a polish. You don’t really see them doing anything to show their relationship building. They don’t seem to discuss what they want…
The central romance just doesn't work, and if that doesn't then the movie doesn't. Hard to hate it because its heart is in the right place and it's clear the drag community being portrayed is incredibly vibrant - but story wise, acting wise, dialogue wise, it all falls flat. Wish it all translated better.
GRADE: C
the outfits!!! the colours!!! the music!!! the performances!!! a saw v reference!!! its a vibe!!!
Definitely could’ve been a tv show or longer because not much feels resolved in terms of the love story. It feels split between two halves that clash too often. Some character choices feel weird as well. It’s sweet but slight. Randomly has some intense sex scenes though. However, Bilal Hasna is great. I need to watch that show that he’s in.
i’m tired! it’s 2am. this was so so so lovely. the director (Amrou Al-Kadhi) is so cunty & i love them. they def have a sharp eye bc the camera loved Bilal Hasna down. this film does its best to convey that there are no bad guys between Layla & Max. although, something i’ve discovered (being around like-minded queer people helps) is that queerness is inherently anti-establishment and being with someone who is not, is simply not worth it and often dangerous. it’s a part of the “becoming” or entering the “in between” like Layla describes. from an outsider’s perspective, they both put each other through the same thing where one person is a fish out of water in their partner’s environment.…
Layla is a fascinating and raises some interesting themes about families, both chosen and biological, but the script could have done with another effort to provide some more thematic clarity and smooth things out a bit.
you could say the pacing kinda “drags”…I’ll let myself out
i think this movie has a lot of potential but it just kind of fell flat. i loved layla & the representation that they brought (and bilal hasna is a POWERHOUSE). the film was supposed to be about layla finding themself but instead, we focused mostly on the romantic relationship layla had which i felt very disappointed by. we didn't really get to know layla's friends & family or their relationship with them either.
layla's romantic relationship was obviously toxic but honestly, it was boring as well😭. most of their arguments and conflict felt either stupid or very forced and i did not feel much development from the romantic relationship for the first 2/3rds of the film. i felt a lot of…
shoe scene went kinda crazy
Was very impressed with Amrou Al-Kadhi’s directorial debut LAYLA. Features a stunning debut performance from Bilal Hasna as the story examines queer relationships & transsexual identity with empathy & nuance. A beautiful, vibrant & layered character study with a great soundtrack.
