The indie animated movie Lamya’s Poem is a hidden gem

polygon.com:

Lamya’s Poem is a hidden gem, a movie that defies expectations for modern American animation but may resonate with fans of international projects like Cartoon Saloon’s The Breadwinner. The direct-to-streaming release comes from nonprofit education studio Unity Productions Foundation, founded by speaker and writer Alexander Kronemer, who wrote and directed the film. It follows a bright young girl named Lamya (Millie Davis), who finds solace in the poetry of 13th-century scholar Rumi (Mena Massoud) after she’s forced to flee from her hometown of Aleppo during the Syrian Civil War.

The movie tackles three intertwined plotlines: Lamya’s escape from Syria, Rumi’s similar emigration after a Mongol invasion, and a meeting between the two of them in a strange fantasy world, where they encounter metaphorical beings that represent the dangers each of them faces. On their own, any of these plotlines could carry a whole movie. Lamya struggles to keep her head high when all hope is lost. Rumi wrestles with his desire for revenge, which overcomes his devotion to his poetry. And in the dream realm, the two of them meet up and discover a mysterious city under attack.

When Kronemer brings them together, however, they sometimes detract from one another — especially the fantasy plotline, which occasionally undermines the characters’ individual journeys. Still, at the movie’s climax, all three threads merge, with Rumi’s poetry stringing them together, and it synergizes into a beautiful, evocative moment.

The gorgeously rendered backgrounds help bolster that beauty. Lamya’s Poem has its limitations, particularly in the stilted character animation, but the exquisitely painted scenery more than makes up for it. The fantastical dream world has