Layla Review

Drag artiste Layla adores bright colours and the flamboyant costumes that go with the job but, as she points out in Amrou Al-Kadhi’s directorial debut, “it’s not just one side of me.” And, as she finds in the film that bears her name, being accepted for her true self isn’t easy, even when love is involved.

Her performance at a corporate event for a ready meal company turns out to be a disaster – almost: its apparent emphasis on diversity is just lip service and she’s humiliated by being paid in vouchers for the product. In fighting back by ridiculing the event, she attracts the attention of one of the marketing team, Max (Louis Greatorex) and the two hit it off. It’s an unlikely romance: Max is ill at ease with Layla’s (Bilal Hasna) friends and they don’t take to him either, but she is captivated by him and prepared to change to fit in with his more conventional lifestyle. That he regularly ghosts her, leaving it to her to keep the relationship going, is acutely painful, but she’s so enraptured she tolerates it. As time moves on, those hairline cracks start to merge into a gulf ….

If Layla sounds familiar, there’s a good reason. Unicorns, released earlier this year, was based on Al-Kadhi’s book on their experiences as a drag performer and their life story is clearly reflected in this film, with a romance between a drag queen and a more conventional cis-gender man at its heart. But, those surface similarities aside, this takes a different approach, telling its story in a more conflicted tone. This is Layla’s first real love: there have been crushes, but never anything like this and she’s ill-equipped to deal with Max’s erratic behaviour earlier on. Equally, as things progress, she is more than willing to put her real self to one side and adopt his way of life with its grey clothes and industrial chic apartment. A complete opposite to her vibrant clothes, everyday ones included, and chaotic house share.

Emotions run high throughout the film, certainly when it comes to Layla herself, and trying to build bridges with her sister adds to them, but they at least come with the promise of some acceptance and stability. Bilal Hasna puts in an effective performance as Layla, a complex mixture of insecurities, defiance and a desperate longing to be loved and accepted. Her heart is almost permanently on her sleeve, which is more than can be said for Greatorex’s more enigmatic and, ultimately, lukewarm Max. Visually, the club sequences are a feast for the eyes, with stunning costumes, hair and make up, all of which explodes off the screen with colour and sheer invention.

It’s not hard to work out where Layla and Max’s relationship is going, but their respective pressures and pain are all sympathetically portrayed and shot through with a comionate authenticity. Getting real about their relationship is hard, but there is definitely light on the other side.