This historical epic about the life of Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, is a mechanical history lesson riddled with clichés.
Directed by Eli King, “The Lady of Heaven” chronicles the life of Lady Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam.
The movie opens with the ISIS invasion of modern-day Iraq. In an unexpectedly graphic scene, a young boy, Laith (Gabriel Cartade), witnesses jihadists murder his mother. He’s then adopted by a strapping Iraqi soldier and his kindly mother, Bibi (Denise Black).
Black, a white actress, makes for a questionable casting decision, though she’s primarily a narrator and her silky voice does lend the story a certain gravitas. Bibi comforts the traumatized boy with the faith-affirming tale of Fatima, plunging the viewer into seventh-century Arabia, where the bulk of the film takes place.
Thing is, the film is hardly about Fatima.
Islamic tradition forbids the direct portrayal of religious figures by individual actors, a code “The Lady of Heaven” abides by. Completely shrouded in a black veil, Fatima is a faceless character who, more important, never truly seems to be the focus.
Instead, the film is more of a history lesson that happens to take her into account. King traces the rise of Muhammed; Fatima’s marriage to Muhammad’s cousin, Ali; the death of Muhammad; and the ensuing split between Shiite and Sunni Muslims. In the last act, Fatima emerges as a martyr whose suffering assumes contemporary resonance in Laith’s rejection of Islamic extremism.
All the boxes of the historical epic genre are ticked — a bloody battle sequence, an ethereal wedding ceremony and intrigue among power mongering factions. The film runs through plot points in appropriately spectacular, if mechanical, fashion. A shoddy script and an overwhelming reliance on clichés, however, make this would-be blockbuster feel incredibly cheap.
The Lady of Heaven
Rated R for wartime violence. Running time: 2 hours 21 minutes. In theaters.
Source: Movies - nytimes.com
