Scenes from the first Arabic Netflix film have created a public drama as intense as it plays onscreen. On social media and TV talk shows and among friends in Egypt and other Middle East countries, a stream of critics called the film a threat to family and religious values, encouraged homosexuality and unworthy of Arab societies.
Others have rallied in defense of the film, saying critics deny the idea of what happens behind closed doors in real life. He argues that those who do not like the film are free to subscribe to Netflix or skip the film.
Titled “Ashab Wala Aaz”, which means “No Dear Friends”, the film is an Arabic version of the Italian hit “Perfect Strangers”, which inspired several other international remakes.
It tells the story of seven friends at a dinner party that went wrong after the hostess suggested that, as a game, they agree to share any calls, texts and voice messages. As smartphones are discussed, secrets are revealed, infidelity is exposed and relationships are put to the test.
The controversy has restarted the debate on artistic freedom versus social and religious sensibility in the region; censorship; which is taboo in various societies and depiction of homosexual characters.
To see those themes in an Arabic language film with Arab actors went too far for some. (There’s no nudity in the movie; it’s roughly an hour and a half of people talking around the dinner table.) “I guess if it’s a generic foreign movie, I’d be fine. But because it’s an Arabic The film is, I didn’t accept it,” said 37-year-old Elham from Egypt, who asked to withdraw her last name because of the sensitivity of the subject. “We don’t accept the idea of premarital homosexuality or intimate relationships in our society, so what happened was a cultural shock.”
Homosexuality is a particularly strong taboo in Egypt: a 2013 survey by the Pew Research Center found that 95 percent in the country say it should be rejected by society; In Lebanon, the number was 80 percent at the time.
The cast of the film are mostly prominent Lebanese stars and its events are set in Lebanon. There, it has received many positive reviews.
This is not the first time that an Arabic-language film has featured gay characters.
Most famously, the cast of A-list Egyptian actors in the 2006 film “The Jacobean Building,” including a gay main character, caused a stir, among other things. But the character was eventually killed by her lover, which was seen by many as punishment.
In contrast, the homosexual character in “Ashb Wala Aaj” is not portrayed negatively. Another character encourages her to expose her former employers who let her know for their sexual identity.
Egypt’s Fatima Kamal, 43, said she didn’t get it for promoting same-sex relationships. She argued that few Egyptian films in the past were more daring. “The film touches on issues that society refuses to face, but it happens,” he said. “We all have a dark side and hidden stories.”
Kamal, who has a 12-year-old son, also rubbished the idea that the film would corrupt the Arab youth.
Speaking on a popular TV show, Egyptian MP Mustafa Bekri argued that Egyptian and Arab family values were being targeted.
“It’s neither art nor creativity,” he said. “We should ban Netflix from being in Egypt” even if only temporarily.
Film critic Khalid Mahmood noted that Egypt “produced powerful and daring films in the 1960s and 1970s.” But much of that adventure has been lost with the trend of so-called “clean cinema”.
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