ALULA: Saudi filmmaker Hassan El-Hejaili offers a quirky, nostalgic portrayal of childhood mischief in his seven-minute short, “The Extraordinary Misadventures of the Amazing Boy Super-Blurry,” now screening at Jeddah’s Red Sea International Film Festival. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @arabnews.lifestyle The story follows a bored young Saudi, Zezo, who discovers that he can put his hand into boiling tea without being hurt. “Tea is part of our culture … we drink it so much that it’s like it’s in our veins,” El-Hejaili told Arab News while sipping a cup of tea, explaining why he chose to begin the story with the beverage. The audience is invited along on Zezo’s adventures — or misadventures — with his siblings as the situation in their dysfunctional home escalates and his superpowers become even more impressive. Filmed in black and white — aside from a saturated red tint in the tea — the aesthetic, which has shadows and different gradients, pays homage to classic cinema. “I consider myself a cinema-lover,” said El-Hejaili, who has written multiple books on cinema in Arabic, adding that he drew inspiration from vintage filmmakers such as Georges Melies, who died in 1938. El-Hejaili chose a kitchen and bathroom as the primary settings, spaces not often seen in Saudi films. “Those rooms are the heart of the home,” he said, “but every time the family in the film gathers there, something goes wrong.” The film’s tight quarters create a sense of closeness and chaotic spontaneity, capturing playful sibling rivalries, while the distracted parents are too absorbed in their smartphones to notice. The portrayal of children in the film diverges from typical Saudi cinema and doesn’t spoon-feed everything to the audience — El-Hejaili trusts that they will be able to pour their own cups of tea and join in. “In most Saudi films, kids are wise beyond their years,” El-Hejaili explained. “I wanted them to lie, fight and break stuff — not in a way that destroys the world, but in a cute, real way. Siblings fight. It’s natural.” One of the most memorable scenes during the two-day shoot was an egg fight sequence. “It was fun to film but a nightmare to clean,” he said, laughing. “This was the first and last experiment and experience filming with kids — and eggs.”