Al Bangeri

Haseena, the protagonist of our film, a widow who has recently emerged from her mourning period. She used to derive her value from her husband's status, as he was the respected and followed wise man and healer of the neighborhood by its residents.

Haseena felt threatened after her husband’s death. The value she derived from her husband’s status had disappeared, and she became merely the healer’s widow who could not provide anything to the residents of the neighborhood as her husband had done. This is what prompted her to cling to the Banjari (Banjari mean bracelet in Arabic) that was pressed into her hand by a woman who had gone through the same experience.

However, each time the Banjari gave her greater power and made her perform strange rituals that would give her the ability to help the desperate residents, it also took a significant part of her, which was one of her fingers. It forced her to cut off one finger after another. This symbolizes the human desire to prove their false worth despite the harm they may endure and the sacrifices they make from their essence and truth. The greed for status blinds us even to the reality of our being and makes us undervalue ourselves.

Haseena clings to the Banjari until it becomes a burden on her, causing her more harm than good. She begins to fear for herself and seeks a way out and a solution to get rid of it. She remembers that she can only get rid of it by giving it to a woman she considers a victim of it as she was a victim of others. However, she fails at the last moment due to the surprise that will become clear at the end of the film.

In the end, each of us has our own "Banjari" in life, it could be a name, tribe, status, appearance, or something else. Without realizing it, we try in various ways to cling to it, to feel our worth. Once we get rid of it, we realize our true value, which comes from within. The more we try to deny this truth and seek other sources to enhance our worth, the more we'll have to strip away parts of ourselves each time, until our reality becomes distorted, and we no longer recognize ourselves.