Jude Chehab's Q screens the secrets of the matriarchal Muslim order Al-Qubaysiat

When it comes to documentaries, there’s often the question of how close you should get to your subject.

Does it take away objectivity or facilitate more trust to reveal deeper truths?

In the case of Q, the debut feature of Jude Chehab which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, maybe it does both in order to paint a portrait of faith, devotion and family with the grey areas from where these themes intersect.

"Chehab’s gorgeous use of light, shade and warmth to present her subjects adds a cinematic quality befitting a high-end drama. Her lens feels less that of a filmmaker but a daughter reconciling her affection and frustration with those she loves most"

The Lebanese-American cinematographer and filmmaker knows her subjects intimately; they are her family and her mother Hiba is the primary focus.

Hiba is a devout Muslim academic who wears a white hijab, teaches the Quran and was once a member of a secretive matriarchal Muslim order called Al-Qubaysiat led by the Anisa.

The group, however, isn’t presented as a girl power movement of shared faith but a somewhat sinister, cult-like collective reinforced by ominous drum beats in William Ryan Fitch’s atmospheric score.

Hiba was kicked out of Al-Qubaysiat by the mysterious Anisa who demands strict commitment from its members and Chehab attempts to unpack that fallout and her mother’s feelings about it.

Interviews with Chehab’s mother, teta (grandmother), and father Ziad, slowly reveal the history and context of the discord with the Qubaysiat and why it had such a monumental effect on her family.

We learn early on that Hiba had got into medical school but was pushed by her mother and the Anisa to commit to the order instead. “The world has enough doctors,” teta says the Anisa told her.

“Leave her for us.” Though Hiba could have had a more artistic life too. An old video recording shows a pretty young actress performing in a play, an image that contrasts dramatically with Chehab’s covered-up mother today.

Hiba writes deep, spiritual poetry and is a natural orator too. No wonder the Anisa had grand plans for her to become one herself.

At times, the family lay all their feelings and frustrations out. Elsewhere they are more guarded with what they say though the tensions reveal themselves in unexpected ways.

When Chehab asks Ziad about Hiba’s faith he says, “It’s fine.” Hiba, next to him, is affronted. He showed more excitement for ice cream the day before.

By prioritising the Anisa, it's clear resentment in the marriage has brewed for 30 years but had the gender roles been reversed would this be the case?

Chehab doesn’t quite probe enough to get answers or delve directly into the Qubaysiat to reveal more about the order and its demanding leader.

She might have access to her family but others in the community are less willing to talk in front of a camera. This adds a meta-quality to the narrative as the news of Chehab's film spreads and fuels gossip.

She even puts herself in it to show that as a child she was devoted to their Muslim cause. A young Chehab gives a speech about choosing to wear a hijab but no explanation for that later change of heart.

There’s a lot of reading between the lines and the looks to recognise the fissures in this familial set-up which comes to an emotional head in a rather cathartic final act.

Chehab’s gorgeous use of light, shade and warmth to present her subjects adds a cinematic quality befitting a high-end drama. Her lens feels less that of a filmmaker but a daughter reconciling her affection and frustration with those she loves most.

She captures their aura, patiently waiting for her mother, father and teta to reveal themselves to each other in ways they might never have done had this film not been made.

It’s certainly great work for a debut feature; Jude Chehab renders an empathetic portrait that might just provide the healing this family needs.

Hanna Flint is a film and TV critic, writer and author of Strong Female Character with bylines at Empire, Time Out, Elle, Town & Country, the Guardian, BBC Culture and IGN.

Follow her here: @HannaFlint