Very few things are as vulnerable as the things we keep on our phones. Fearful of all things untold, our phones, locked, are clenched into our hands. Netflix’s first-ever Arabic original film, Ashab Wala A’azz (‘Perfect Strangers’ in English), intriguingly portrays this distinctly intense modern fear while setting the stage for more representation in the Arab cinema world. Inspired by the 2016 Italian film by Paolo Genovese of the same title, Lebanese director Wissam Smayra’s movie revolves around the story of seven close friends who get together for dinner and decide to play a game that involves them placing their phones on the table, and agreeing in to openly share all calls, texts, and voice message as they come. Smaraya’s star-studded Pan-Arab cast all bring a masterful performance of a friend group that has presumably known each other for years, but as the night unfolds, get to know each other quite a bit more intimately. The movie starts with hosts May and Walid (played by Nadine Labaki and Georges Khabbaz respectively), a loveless couple who navigate through teenage trouble with their daughter. The couple invites Maryam and Sherif (Mona Zaki…
Perfect Strangers: Netflix’s Bold First Arabic Original Film Sets the Stage for More Representation
January 22, 2022
