Like fabric, the most intriguing aspect of this film is not what we grasp on the surface, but what we imagine lies underneath.

On the surface, _My Favorite Fabric_ is the story of Nahla, a young, single Syrian woman living in Damascus. Nahla must manage her sexuality in a country that denies it, her stubborn streak in a regime that quells it, and her need to be loved on her own terms in a world that refuses to accept this. To complicate this inner turmoil, the film is set at the beginning of the Syrian revolution so an external conflict adds a layer of complication to her already tumultuous life.

Under this sheet, however, there is much going on we cannot see, yet can infer. Is Nahla a symbol of the Syrian people? Does her noisy new neighbour represent the revolutionnaires? Does the docile man from abroad symbolise foreign involvement in the country's civil strife? These subtle shifts and curves that we can only imagine exist beneath the veil make this film a seductive mystery we long to uncover in order to discover the naked truth.

In a time when movies throw themselves at the audience, it's nice to see a film that plays hard to get.