Understanding the flow of the movie for many is a challenge evident in many reviews. Escaping the drudgery of Western philosophy of working 12 hour days just to pay the rent, she ops for a more fluid life in Morocco with her two young girls. Beautifully made and acted movie flows to resemble life in the other 1/2 of the world. With little money, she needs to find generous people to live with and creative ways to work.
Escaping the boundaries of Western life (dictated by time schedules) she finds Sufi's philosophy uplifting. I saw the movie theme as a way to Julia to find understand that connections, family and experiences as the vein of life. I hear this often from people who immigrate to Canada (not those escaping) - we thought our lives would be so much better, but all they see are people working too much. In their home country emphasis is on the family and experiences.