Inshallah a Boy

Amjad Al-Rasheed's 2023 Jordanian film is about a woman who loses her husband suddenly. Nawal works as a nurse and has a small daughter; after his death her brother-in-law claims a share of the inheritance, because under the law part of the house passes to the husband's family when there is no son. To avoid losing her home and her daughter she says she is pregnant and tries to stretch out the proceedings, and as the lie grows every step becomes riskier. The film does not set out to explain the legal system; it shows one by one how each transaction in her daily life depends on a man's approval. The telling is measured and the tension built quietly. It was the first Jordanian film to compete at Cannes and won prizes at Critics' Week. Who it's for: viewers who like Middle Eastern cinema and social drama. Who it's not for: anyone expecting a comforting close; the film keeps that restrained.