lebjournal.com-Another light political satire of an operetta where Fayrouz, as usual, portrays the simple righteous subject fighting the injustices of the ruling party with her legendary voice, humorous arguments and mischievous actions.

The Wali (Antoine Kerbaje) is supposed to wake up from his month-long slumber today. The moon is up and it is time the Wali wake up and sign the three petitions he is willing to sign before he gets tired and goes back to sleep for another month.

Nothing can be accomplished without a signed petition including getting out of prison even though the sentence has been long over due.

Qrenful (Fayrouz) has been waiting 6 months to have her petition signed. Her roof fell down and she has been living under an umbrella all that time unable to fix her roof without the petition. Her patience had run out already but her arguments with Zaydoun Almustashar fall on deaf ears.

The Wali wakes up, signs three petitions as expected and goes back to sleep. Qrenful’s petition is not signed and soon she will be exposed to the cold without a roof. She decides to steal the official stamp used by the Wali and sign her petition. She succeeds in stealing the stamp and signs not only her petition but all the petitions laying in wait as well except that of Shaker, the shoemaker (Elie Shweiri) who did not finish the new shoes she had ordered from him 3 months previously. Thereafter, unable to return the stamp to its original place, she throws it into the well.

With all the petitions signed, a flurry of activity takes place and a great amount of work is accomplished. Another month passes by and the Wali is said to wake up again.
Qrenful, fearful of the consequences of discovering her theft, tries to convince the others to let him sleep on but they insist on waking him up to show him their accomplishments during the past month.

The Wali wakes up and discovers the theft of the stamp. A short interrogation is all it takes for Qrenful to admit her guilt. The people beg mercy for her; After all, she did all of them a big favor, but the Wali insists on a strange punishment. Qrenful is to be tied up to a wild horse that will run loose with her on its back for the rest of her life. However, the sentence cannot be carried out for the lack of the official stamp to legalize it.

Qrenful decides to rectify her wrongdoing. She asks to be tied to a rope and brought down into the well to fetch the stamp. She finds the stamp and returns it to the Wali who not only forgives her “crime” but empowers her to sign the petitions from that day on, and they all live happily ever after.

© 2008

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