Layla review: Bilal Hasna’s spectacular performance leads ode to drag and queerness

There’s a moment in Layla where the titular character (Bilal Hasna) comes home from a family occasion, tears off their outfit, splashes iridescent paint across their face and body, and dances as if no one is watching. And no one is watching, this is just a private moment for the character who feels a brief moment of ultimate freedom and euphoria in a film where having that is a struggle.

Layla, the first feature from filmmaker and Attitude columnist Amrou Al-Kadhi, focuses on Layla, an Arab-British non-binary drag queen who is comfortable in their identity and with their chosen family. Confident, effervescent, and loud when in drag, Layla struggles to embody everything they are when not in drag. They’re also hiding their true authentic self from their traditional family, constantly code-switching to survive. Then they meet Max (Louis Greatorex), a cis-gender gay man who is a world apart from Layla and their friends. The film follows their fiery and tender romance as Layla figures out how to express their identity with others and how to deal with others’ perceptions of them.

This is not a coming out story. It’s a story about feeling your most comfortable in yourself no matter what. Prioritising queer joy and connection, the film seeks to decentre trauma from queer Arab lives, a narrative too often portrayed when it is at all. With Al-Kadhi’s background in performance and drag, Layla also serves as a love letter to drag queens. It is celebratory in nature and it soars for that. Ultimately by the end, Layla has found freedom and it’s joyous to watch.

The film is led by a spectacular performance from Hasna, who commands every scene he is in. He is incredibly watchable bringing a fine level of detail to a character who has multiple facets, each contradiction getting time in the spotlight. It’s truly a wonderful, heartwarming, and joyful performance to watch that is also sensitive, delicate, and considered.

He is matched on screen by Greatorex who brings a likable quality to a character that feels like he shouldn’t be someone the audience roots for. But it’s the opposite. Greatorex excels as Max, who also confidently knows who he is as a gay man but struggles to understand Layla’s identity leading to accidental misgenderings and such. Compared to Layla’s colourful wardrobe, home, and lifestyle Max is more straight-laced, neat, and maybe even a little simple. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. The film does a good job of showing the different shades of the LGBTQ+ community and doesn’t present any as better or more acceptable than others.

The supporting cast including Terique Jarrett, Safiyya Ingar, Darkwah, and Sarah Agha add extra layers of warmth and vibrancy. They’re wary of how Layla changes for Max and subsequently take a disliking to him. However, it does also feel like they were out to not like him anyway before Max misgenders or ghosts Layla. Cameo roles from Self Esteem and Drag Race UK‘s Baby highlight the strength of talent within the community.

There’s very little to not like about Layla. The script is great, ranging between the emotional and the hilarious from scene to scene and never feeling forced. “You look good,” Max tells Layla at one point. The subtext of that being: “You look acceptable” to meet his traditional and straight family. This is a film that has something to say. It knows what that is and how to do it, and does it well. The photography is great, painting a fabulous picture of London’s queer nightlife. The costumes also pay tribute to the very best of the drag scene. All in all, Layla is a brilliant film with a wonderful heart and message.

BFI Flare runs from 13-24 March 2024. Full details are available here.