Name Me Lawand

"I used to think my name was B-A-D... and before, people would bully me" This is a truly revelatory story of the eponymous young Kurdish boy who moves to Derbyshire where, with the help of some surgical implants and a great deal of care and affection, he begins to realise that he is anything but "B-A-D"! This lad is an hugely engaging character with a grin that could charm the cream from the milk. His journey to an eventual sense of satisfaction and contentment has not been easy, though, and the thrust of the narrative follows this inherently shy boy and his family as they must adapt to a new way of life, a new culture, new teachers and new attitudes. None of these are necessarily as benign was we might like - and this process of integration takes great strength and dedication from all concerned. Luckily for us, Lawand has that strength of character, and an opportunity to prove it which this documentary presents honestly and compellingly. Except. What's wrong with natural sound? So much of the potency here centres on his inability to hear, his unwillingness to speak - yet we are constantly bombarded with a score of gently repetitive piano chords that really add nothing at all to the story. If only we had a red button option where we could disable the soundtrack! The other thing that I left this film with, is an astonishment as to the effectiveness of British Sign Language. It's an amazing invention that continuously evolves with use and experience. Rather than learn foreign languages as kids, why on earth not do an hour or so a week getting to grips with this? It's not just useful here, but think on the elderly who struggle to hear for other reasons later in life - signing isn't a skill that will ever lose it's value. This is true story of family, commitment and love - and is really well worth a watch.

I saw this film recently at the 2024 RiverRun International Film Festival in Winston-Salem, NC. It is a profoundly moving story of a child finding his "voice" (in the sense of being able to communicate authentically) and his value as a human being in the world. Viewers also learn about his traumas as a refugee child and the process and challenges of staying in the United Kingdom as a refugee, but I would say the main emphasis is Lawand's journey to self-expression and finding his place in the world, spiritually as much as mechanically. I really can't recommend it highly enough. I would especially recommend it to anyone who has ever struggled to communicate in any way.