Life under a dictatorship has a range of consequences, both intended and unintended. The President’s Cake, the directorial debut from Hasan Hadi, explores the oft-ignored economic effect of life under the Saddam Hussein regime in the 1990s, but it tells a universal story that can be felt beyond the specific place and time. It’s a quietly radical experiment, eschewing a traditional story structure to make a larger point about governmental control and how it affects the innocent.

For all his heinous crimes against humanity, Hussein’s most prominent decree comes from what was likely initially construed as an act of generosity. Hadi informs us through The President’s Cake’s opening text, that Hussein’s birthday was a mandatory celebration throughout Iraq. As part of that celebration, Lamia (Banin Ahmed Nayef) is chosen from her classmates to make a cake as an offering. After a brief prologue which shows how Lamia’s school has fully indoctrinated the kids to celebrate and worship Hussein, the bulk of the film sees Lamia through a single day as she ventures from her countryside home into the city in order to buy the ingredients necessary to make the titular cake.

Hadi, who wrote the screenplay, shows how Hussein’s policies have trickled down to make even buying the most basic necessities – rice, flour, eggs, fruit – noticeably more difficult not just for Lamia but for all citizens. All throughout The President’s Cake, we see news footage of people complaining about food prices; a pregnant woman barters for lentils; a line of people stretches far and wide as people vie for water rations. Because Lamia, who lives with her feeble grandmother Bibi (Waheed Thabet Khraibet), has no money, she has to get creative in order to find what she needs. Thankfully she runs into Saeed (Sajad Mohamad Qasan), a fellow classmate with necessary street smarts, who helps her along.

Lamia’s shopping list provides the backbone of The President’s Cake, as Lamia and Saeed tour through the city and meet all manner of shopkeepers with their own motives for helping them. Some may see the film’s lack of a traditional antagonist as a detriment, but Hadi argues that Hussein, the military that enforces his policies, and even Lamia’s teacher, who threatens to report the families who don’t comply, are the true villains of the story. There’s even a few subtle nods to American intervention, and how our constant bombings are mostly hurting ordinary citizens, rather than liberating them. If anything, the film’s structure keeps us from knowing Lamia on a more intimate level – though Nayef’s performance is powerful beyond her years.

The President’s Cake doesn’t carry with it the weight of a story which Hadi personally experienced per se, but its emotional weight rings true. Though Hadi’s commitment to verisimilitude comes through with his use of non-professional actors in most of the roles. Much like another Cannes premiere from last year, The Secret Agent, Hadi shows another side to life under a dictatorship with assured confidence, providing a showcase for a talented international director with an eye for detail and nuance.

The President’s Cake will be in theaters nationwide on February 6.

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