Top ingredients help The President's Cake

Forced to accept a challenge beyond their means, the young protagonists of The President’s Cake show a resolve that in many ways feels inspiring and uplifting. This comes despite a setting in Iraq of the 1990s, ruled by Sadam Hussain’s dictatorship that leads to various forms of abuse in a corrupt world that stifles individual will. Young Lamia lives there, taken aback when her name gets drawn to provide a cake for the town’s celebration of the ruler’s birthday. Living in poverty, Lamia sets out to the city with her grandmother, a pet rooster, and her friend Saeed, an outcast of sorts since his crippled father has to beg for a living. The city offers little hope of assistance in finding necessary ingredients like eggs and sugar. Instead, threats abound, including thieves, bureaucracy, pedophiles, and chopping blocks for chickens. Writer-director Hasan Hidi finds a way around all this with a story that features both success and a tinge of sadness. He shows a society whose residents hardly realize the outrageous nature of its demands—elements that would qualify as farcical except for the serious consequences of failure. Hidi gets this across, staging many shots with a lyrical aspect and showcasing with an effective sense of place. His work also benefits through the naturalistic performances he guides from nonprofessionals including Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Sajad Mohama Qasem, and Hindi, an impressive rooster who crows both on cue and at random to comic effect. Mixing both the sweet and sour, The President’s Cake proves an eye opening and satisfying experience.