By Ken Hall.
Ahlam’s mission acquires a Hitchcockian aspect as this law-abiding artist in the US becomes trapped in a situation which she does not understand, with mysterious people posing a threat to her safety.”
This subtly presented independent mystery-drama relates the economic and emotional challenges facing Lebanese artist Ahlam (Sarah Bitar). Based in New York, Ahlam is an active painter in the process of obtaining her artist visa with the assistance of an immigration attorney. Her family is still in Lebanon.
At the insistent request of a longtime friend and mentor, Paul (Guy de Lancey), Ahlam reluctantly accepts a mission to transport a package to a destination outside New York City. The mission acquires a Hitchcockian aspect as the law-abiding Ahlam becomes trapped in a situation which she does not understand, with mysterious people posing a threat to her safety. She encounters a former fellow art student, Zora (Bahar Beihaghi), who inexplicably appears to know details of Ahlam’s present situation. Ahlam also meets a French-speaking woman, Camille (Caterina Verde), who knowingly displays concern or at least some understanding of her situation. The object to be delivered matches another Hitchcock staple: the MacGuffin, the element in a plot which is less important than its effects on the characters. Eventually Ahlam extricates herself from her difficulties.
The film is economically presented with skillful employment of cinematography. Ahlam is often shown looking through windows and doors, conveying a note of threat or restriction from indoor spaces. In one scene, she gazes into a blurred mirror, indicating that her persona as an immigrant artist in a foreign country is still indefinite. The performances in the film are workmanlike and effective. Stockade is an efficient and entertaining narrative presenting a fresh perspective on immigrant challenges in the United States.
Ken Hall (Ph.D., University of Arizona, 1986; MA, University of NC-Chapel Hill, 1978) is professor emeritus of Spanish at ETSU, where he had taught since 1999. His publications include Professionals in Western Film and Fiction (McFarland, 2019), John Woo: The Films (McFarland, [1999] 2012), John Woo’s The Killer (Hong Kong University Press, 2009), Stonewall Jackson and Religious Faith in Military Command (McFarland, 2005) and Guillermo Cabrera Infante and the Cinema (Juan de la Cuesta Hispanic Monographs, 1989). His essay, “Femme Fatale Assassins and the Time Clock” was published on Retreats from Oblivion on Nov. 17, 2021.