Review: ‘The Boy With Two Hearts’
This story of one family’s flight from Afghanistan to the UK gives the refugee problem a very much real picture. Phil Porter’s adaptation of the autobiographical book by Hamed and Hessam Amiri—who had never written before—is uncomplicated and almost kid-friendly.
Their deceased older brother Hussein, who was born with a heart ailment but turned into a pillar of the family’s strength, is the titular boy.
In 2000, they had already made up their minds to leave Herat in order to get Hussein’s crippling tachycardia treated. It was essential to flee from Afghanistan to Cardiff because mother Fariba (a witty Houda Echouafni) was given the death penalty for criticising the Taliban.
When Hessam (Shamail Ali) was just seven years old, Hussein (Ahmad Sakhi), then 14 years old, was quiet and wise; Hamed (Farshid Rokey), then 10, was chatty and impulsive. To the sound of Woman’s Hour on a trucker’s radio, the family travels through Russia, Armenia, Turkey, Austria, Germany, Holland, and France before arriving in England. Neighbours graciously buy everything at inflated costs for the family.
The empty clothing that lines Hayley Grindle’s gantry set suggests a large number of people who have been forced to flee their homes. The empty clothing then rearranges to represent the cramped car trunks and container voids where the family has hidden. The projections on the above panels show the subtitles and the locations.
A tabla-driven score is played as singer Elaha Soroor focuses on the more stressful scenes. Hussein occasionally convulses in the light while experiencing an arrhythmia attack.
It’s a moving story that’s not altogether depressing. The Amiris encounter kind officials in France and England despite being constantly robbed, bullied, and humiliated along the way. They are also continuously supported by friends and relatives. Surprisingly, a “handler” (trafficker) chooses to go straight, alter his methods, and ship them from Sangatte to Britain for free after extorting money from them for a failed crossing.
There is no historical context, and the emphasis is on the family’s unity rather than the threats from without. This is partly because one of the five actors in the cast must leave their main role in order to briefly draw in each foe before quickly returning.
The story line has a very boyish perspective, with images of Fariba’s cooking and groans at dad Mohammed’s (Dana Haqjoo) awful jokes being filtered via sibling fights and football games amongst the extremely close “bros.” The play’s final act concisely depicts Hussein’s love and care, as well as his economic success and ultimate heart failure. It also portrays how the men overcome obstacles to integrate.
The story of The Boy With Two Hearts is one of love and brotherhood. It can represent many stories about the brutal journeys made every year by those seeking asylum, but Amiri’s story is both uplifting and profound. The ending is upbeat, reflecting with gratitude on an extraordinary journey from Herat to the stage of Britain’s National Theatre, as well as the extra few years spent with a loved sibling made possible by the NHS. Away from the political scoreboard, there is also room for humanity, humour, and goodwill in refugee stories.