There’s a reason why a lot of people don’t ever bother getting to really know themselves. It hurts. Self-discovery can be beautiful, sure, but there’s ugliness down there too – especially when we’re at our lowest. But for the past five years, and especially since the tragic death of his mother, that’s exactly what Andrew Garfield has been doing – figuring himself out, warts and all.
“I’m trying to have as authentic relationship to myself, and therefore others, and therefore the world, and therefore my work, as possible,” Garfield tells The National. “Sometimes it's really, really painful, because there are aspects of myself that I wish I didn't have.
“But if we try to exile those parts of ourselves, we end up being in denial of what we’re capable of. And then we end up really doing damage. So I have to find those different parts and own them and welcome them, and therefore be able to govern them and not be governed by those unconscious drives.”
On the other side of that pain, it’s the reason he’s at the best place he’s ever been, why he’s doing the best work of his career and, the reason why he’s now focused more on the experiences of others, especially those all across the globe.
That was clear on stage in New York in October, when Garfield eschewed a question during a public interview about himself to instead highlight the plight of the Palestinian people.
“We should be putting our energy toward something that actually matters,” he said. “Maybe the lives of, I don’t know, Palestinians in Gaza right now. Maybe that’s where we put our hearts and our energy in, and anyone suffering, anyone oppressed, anyone that is suffering under the weight of the horrors of our world right now, anyone who doesn’t have a choice in living lives of dignity. That’s where our energy should be going right now.”
Garfield has continued to put focus on the people of Palestine in the months since. In early December, he served on the jury of the Marrakesh Film Festival, where he and his fellow jury members awarded the top prize to the Palestinian film Happy Holidays – though he refuses to take credit for that choice alone.
“Happy Holidays was a unanimous decision from the jury at Marrakesh that I was a part of, for the biggest award,” Garfield says. “Overall, it was one of my favourite weeks I’ve had in a long time. I got to watch two movies a day, listen to incredible artists talk about cinema, and have my own notions of cinema challenged and expanded.”
The young Arab filmmakers in particular inspired Garfield, and changed his outlook.
“There’s this vitality in their films – this yearning and longing. There’s so much hope in them, particularly in parts of the world I haven’t visited, like Palestine, Somalia, Sudan. I felt somehow newly connected to cultures that I’ve never practically experienced.
“I think it is really inspiring as an artist to realise how small you are – how small our western notions of self-importance are. And it's very freeing. It's very liberating. It was this remarkably poetic experience. I realised there’s so many ways to tell a story – so many ways to make art,” Garfield continues.
Garfield’s latest film, We Live in Time, came to him at a time when he wasn’t looking for a new project – he was on his self-discovery journey.
“I was reflecting on everything and wanting to be creative, but not necessarily wanting to be on a film set. But then I read the script,” he says.
In 2019, Garfield’s mother, Lynn, died after suffering from pancreatic cancer. The loss shook him deeply, but as bad as it hurt, he remained grateful for that pain.
“I think any human being, if they’re lucky, they get to experience terrible loss. I know that’s a strange way of phrasing it, but I do see it as a privilege to love deeply, and therefore lose terribly,” says Garfield.
We Live in Time is a love story. In it, Garfield’s character also suffers from a great loss – his partner, played by Florence Pugh. “It was personal. But I think this film is personal for every audience member in some way.”
Tackling that subject matter forced him to confront that pain, but it was a process for him of letting go – not of his mother, but letting go to a part of himself.
“It was letting go of too much over thinking. It felt very natural, like getting out of the way. Of not working too hard. Of letting the moment define the moment – letting myself be filled up and trusting that the moment was enough.”
We Live in Time is now in cinemas across the Middle East
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
Haircare resolutions 2021
From Beirut and Amman to London and now Dubai, hairstylist George Massoud has seen the same mistakes made by customers all over the world. In the chair or at-home hair care, here are the resolutions he wishes his customers would make for the year ahead.
1. 'I will seek consultation from professionals'
You may know what you want, but are you sure it’s going to suit you? Haircare professionals can tell you what will work best with your skin tone, hair texture and lifestyle.
2. 'I will tell my hairdresser when I’m not happy'
Massoud says it’s better to offer constructive criticism to work on in the future. Your hairdresser will learn, and you may discover how to communicate exactly what you want more effectively the next time.
3. ‘I will treat my hair better out of the chair’
Damage control is a big part of most hairstylists’ work right now, but it can be avoided. Steer clear of over-colouring at home, try and pursue one hair brand at a time and never, ever use a straightener on still drying hair, pleads Massoud.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
PRO BASH
Thursday’s fixtures
6pm: Hyderabad Nawabs v Pakhtoon Warriors
10pm: Lahore Sikandars v Pakhtoon Blasters
Teams
Chennai Knights, Lahore Sikandars, Pakhtoon Blasters, Abu Dhabi Stars, Abu Dhabi Dragons, Pakhtoon Warriors and Hyderabad Nawabs.
Squad rules
All teams consist of 15-player squads that include those contracted in the diamond (3), platinum (2) and gold (2) categories, plus eight free to sign team members.
Tournament rules
The matches are of 25 over-a-side with an 8-over power play in which only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Teams play in a single round robin league followed by the semi-finals and final. The league toppers will feature in the semi-final eliminator.
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
more from Janine di Giovanni
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
The Bloomberg Billionaire Index in full
1 Jeff Bezos $140 billion
2 Bill Gates $98.3 billion
3 Bernard Arnault $83.1 billion
4 Warren Buffett $83 billion
5 Amancio Ortega $67.9 billion
6 Mark Zuckerberg $67.3 billion
7 Larry Page $56.8 billion
8 Larry Ellison $56.1 billion
9 Sergey Brin $55.2 billion
10 Carlos Slim $55.2 billion
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica
Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)
Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
Aldar Properties Abu Dhabi T10
*November 15 to November 24
*Venue: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
*Tickets: Start at Dh10, from ttensports.com
*TV: Ten Sports
*Streaming: Jio Live
*2017 winners: Kerala Kings
*2018 winners: Northern Warriors
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
