By Reem Alhammadi
ABU DHABI — I saw an Emirati film titled “The Other Dimension,” by Aisha Salah Al Zaabi, on May 1, 2016, at the Zayed Middle East Film Festival (ZUMEFF), and it was one of the best movies of the festival. It is definitely an unforgettable film that will remain in my memory for a long time.
In “The Other Dimension,” the director, Ms. Al Zaabi, a student at the Higher College of Technology, and her screenwriter, Hana Al Zarouni, focus on the theme what goes around comes around.
“I’m a self-taught director. Creating ‘The Other Dimension’ inspired me and made me realize that I’m more than capable of being a successful director and contribute to the field of Emirati filmmaking,” Ms. Al Zaabi said.
As the 10-minute movie starts, viewers’ eyes are directed to a flash of light and a moving shadowy figure, which turns out to be a man running in a dark, gloomy forest. Fearing the mystery of what is awaiting, the man attempts to find a way out from the chilling forest. Finally, he sees a car approaching his direction.
In the car is the film’s main character, Mansour, played by Abdallah Al Hemairi. He is seen smoking and listening to music while driving. Shortly after, the mysterious man runs from the woods and throws himself in front of Mansour’s car. Mansour turns the wheel of his speeding car quickly to avoid colliding into the person. He succeeds, he avoided hitting the strange man, but unfortunately his car crashed into a tree instead.
After this scene, an unexpected transition occurs. A mysterious person shows and pretends to help wounded Mansour. However, he is actually there to seek personal revenge.
At this point, Mansour realizes that his time has come to leave this world, he starts seeing flashes of his past rushing into his memory—the times when he hurt a person or a family member and the moments he crushed some hearts to satisfy his egocentric personality.
The twists and flashes of the different scenes make us think deeply before assaulting another human being. In the film, it is too late for Mansour to reconsider his actions; he tries to run from the hands of fate. He attempts to run from his abductor, but he is trapped again—with a speeding car approaching him this time.
Viewers only hear a mysterious chilling scream, “Death will reach you wherever you go.”
This movie was different in its conception. It had a strong statement to make, and I think all of us who watched it at ZUMEFF understood its purpose. As the movie ended in silence, the audience began to applause in admiration.
Overall, this was an outstanding film, and I am happy ZUMEFF screened it. In addition to the quality of the script, the production team did an excellent job with the screening, sound effects and editing. “The Other Dimension” truly takes you to a different dimension.
This story was originally published on June 2, 2016. It was re-uploaded on Dec. 31, 2020. The photo that accompanied this story was lost due to the loss of the domain name.
