There are few empty calories in ‘President’s Cake’
It’s alleged, but never proven, that Marie Antoinette uttered a big FU to her poor and angry subjects by declaring, “Let them eat cake.” According to the bittersweet fable, “The President’s Cake,” we can assume Saddam Hussein (remember him?) said something similar with his “let them make cake” edict, requiring one student in every classroom across Iraq to bake such a dessert in honor of his birthday, every April 28.
In 1990, a time of stiff U.N.-backed sanctions and U.S. bombing sorties, writer-director Hasan Hadi was one of those kids sweating his name being drawn from a hat for the “honor” of whipping up such a pastry for a class party on the 28th. Natch, his name was called, but not in service of the dreaded cake, but to supply the floral arrangements. In other words, at a time when food, medicine and water were as rare and precious as gold, Hasan considered himself fortunate to be rounding up flowers, not flour.
Lamia (Baneen Ahmad Nayyef), his 9-year-old surrogate in his Cannes-winning debut, isn’t that “lucky.” The third-grader gets the booby prize of whipping up a tarte worthy of an insane, narcissistic dictator (sound like anyone we know?) despite being dirt poor and in fear of being flogged if she doesn’t come through for her Saddam-adoring teacher. Her old and sickly guardian, Grandma Bibi (Waheed Thabet Kreibat), is none too happy, either. But as Bibi is always quick to say, “God will provide.”
How and when? Bibi’s not so sure. But early on the morning of April 27, 1990, the eve of Saddam’s 50th birthday, she and Lamia make the arduous journey from their straw hut in the marshlands of Mesopotamia to the big city of Basra under the guise of fetching the cake’s ingredients. But Bibi has ulterior motives. And once Lamia gets wind of them, she and her pet chicken, Hindi, bolt like lightning into the dangerous streets, home to crooks, crooked cops and child molesters.
Before the day is through, she’ll be exposed to all three, not to mention dead and wounded soldiers caught in the onslaught of repeated U.S. airstrikes. Lucky for Lamia, she’s a smart cookie, or should I say cake? Knowing her good pal, Saeed (Sajad Mohamad Qasem), is across town picking pockets at a crowded amusement park, Lamia enlists him in helping her beg, borrow and steal the essentials to fill her assignment.
The three – Lamia, Saeed and Hindi – make for charming company, although you fear for their safety every step of the way. Rightly so. And Bibi is right there along with us, fraught over the disappearance of her granddaughter. So much so, she heads directly to the police station, where the officers are more annoyed than concerned by the “peasant’s” pleas for help. Eventually, she’s allied with Jasim (Rhaim AlHaj), Lamia’s “uncle,” who frantically assists in the search.
Hasan swears there’s nothing inherently political in his parable, but it’s lurking everywhere you look, from the government’s utter disregard for its citizenry, to the rampant corruption, overtaxed infrastructure, laissez-faire attitude toward child safety and blind devotion to a klyptocratic tryrant. These undertones also eerily mimic much of what’s happening now in the U.S., as a president boldly enriches himself while the sick and the poor get callously kicked to the curb.
I don’t think it was Hasan’s intention to draw that parallel, given that the New York transplant’s movie was in production before Trump reclaimed power. But there’s no escaping it. Just as there’s no escaping the charming spell Baneen and Sajad cast as we tag along on their perilous adventures on a sunny afternoon in which the two 9-year-olds risk life and limb to gather food staples we in the U.S. embarrassingly take for granted.
There’s also a troubling irony in how well Lamia and Saeed can work so well together when almost everyone around them is looking out for themselves, filled with indifference and resignation toward their collective misery. It all builds toward a sad yet hopeful ending brought to us by an ensemble consisting almost entirely of amateur actors performing like pros.
It’s thrilling filmmaking, particularly for a first-time director. The Cannes jury obviously agreed, awarding Hasan the Camera D’Or as the 2025 festival’s rookie of the year. It’s not a stretch to assume his flick would be in Oscar contention too, if not for the ridiculous riches among last year’s foreign films. But don’t let that slight slight deter you. This is a must-see for any movie lover who cherishes outstanding storytelling. Go on, treat yourself to a slice of “Cake.”
Movie review
The President’s Cake
Rated: PG-13 for strong language, some sexual material and smoking
Cast: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Sajad Mohamad Qasem, Waheed Thabet Kreibat and Rhaim AlHaj
Director: Hasan Hadi
Writer: Hasan Hadi
Runtime: 105 minutes
Where: In theaters Feb. 27 (limited)
Grade: B+
