ABSTRACT

This chapter explores the representation of Sufism in François Dupeyron’s film adaptation of Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt’s M. Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Koran. Monsieur Ibrahim is a uniquely overt cinematic depiction of the contemporary Sufic approach to the traditional rites of passage. Dupeyron’s film contains subtle infusions of Sufi tropes and ideals that will be subject to close reading in this chapter. The film is produced in an almost meditative style, with considered insertions of Sufi wisdom throughout, as relayed by the protagonist’s mentor. It is these particular mantras that will be the focus of analysis. In doing so, the chapter will tease out the subtlety of the film’s presentation of the Sufi worldview and examine the efficacy of Sufi wisdom to the everyday struggles as experienced by both Momo and Monsieur Ibrahim. The chapter will touch on relevant and related themes, such as the underlying complexity of Sufi identity, its relationship to Islam and questions about the nature of Sufi praxis.