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An Egyptian wife who carefully removed her black lace underwear from under her clothes before going out to dinner was not trying to seduce her husband.
In a dramatic moment a man revealed he was gay, a secret he had been keeping from his old friends, and they were shocked – but mostly seemed to accept it.
scene from the first arabic Netflix The film sparked a public drama as intense as it was on screen. On social media and TV talk shows, as well as friends in Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries, plenty of critics denounced the film as a threat to family and religious values, encouraging homosexuality, and unsuitable for Arab society.
Others defended the film, saying critics denied what happened behind closed doors in real life. They argue that those who don’t like the movie can just skip the Netflix subscription or just skip the movie.
The film, titled “Ashab Wala A’azz,” which means “no dearer friend,” is the Arabic version of the Italian hit drama “Perfect Stranger,” which has inspired many other international remakes. It tells the story of seven friends who went wrong at a dinner party after the hostess suggested they agree to share any calls, texts and voice messages. As smartphones buzz, secrets are revealed, infidelities are exposed, and relationships are put to the test.
The debate has reignited debates in the region about artistic freedom and social and religious sensitivities. Censorship; what constitutes taboos and portrayals of gay characters in different societies.
Ironically, many of Netflix’s non-Arab films and series in the Middle East feature positive attitudes, premarital and extramarital sex, and even nudity — which is often banned in cinemas in the region — with little to no outcry. protest.
But seeing these themes in an Arabic-language film with an Arab actor is too much for some. (There’s no nudity in the film; it’s mostly an hour-and-a-half of people talking around the dinner table.)
“I thought if it was a normal foreign film, I would be fine. But because it’s an Arabic film, I didn’t accept it,” said Elham, a 37-year-old Egyptian who asked to withhold her surname because of Sensitivity to the topic. “Our society doesn’t accept the idea of ​​homosexuality or premarital intimacy, so what happened was a culture shock.”
Homosexuality is a particularly strong taboo in Egypt: A 2013 Pew Research Center survey found that 95 percent of people in the country said they should be rejected by society; in Lebanon, the figure was 80 percent at the time.
The cast of the film are mostly famous Lebanese stars, and its events take place in Lebanon. There, it received many positive reviews. Fans say it discusses relevant topics away from the stereotypes typically associated with gay characters on screen or cheating spouses.
“Nothing is more important than the hatred of the truth in the Arab world,” Rabbi Farran, a Lebanese journalist, said in a tweet, referring to the backlash.
This isn’t the first time a gay character has been featured in an Arabic-language film.
Most famously, the 2006 film “The Yacoubian Building” caused a sensation with a cast of first-rate Egyptian actors, including a gay protagonist. But the character was eventually killed by his lover in what many saw as punishment.
By contrast, the gay characters in “Ashab Wala A’azz” are not portrayed negatively. Another character encouraged him to reveal his former employer because his gender identity kept him away.
Fatima Kamal, a 43-year-old Egyptian, said she did not think it was promoting same-sex relationships. She thought some Egyptian films of the past were bolder.
“The film touches on issues that society refuses to confront but do happen,” she said. “We all have dark sides and hidden stories.”
Kamal, who has a 12-year-old son, also rejected the idea that the film would corrupt Arab youth.
“Technology has changed society. Limiting movies is not the answer,” she said. “The solution is to age-rated viewing and talking to young people to make them understand that not everything we see on screen is normal.”
Egyptian and Arab family values ​​are being targeted, Egyptian lawmaker Mostafa Bakry said on a popular TV show.
“It is neither Art Nor creativity,” he said. “We have to ban Netflix from Egypt,” even temporarily.
Magda Maurice, the art critic who debated Buckley on the show, disagreed. “The film sheds light on what cell phones do to people and their normal lives,” she said.
“You can’t ban anything right now, but you can fight it with good art,” she added. “Banning is a thing of the past.”
In Egypt, much of the uproar has centered on Mona Zaki, the only Egyptian woman in the cast, one of the country’s biggest stars. Her character is the one slid off her underwear, a gesture that many critics denounced as shameful.
On social media, someone attacked her for taking part in the film. Online abuse expanded to actors who supported her or praised her performance. Some criticized her real-life husband, an Egyptian movie star, for “allowing” her to play the role.
The Egyptian actor syndicate has come out in support of Zaki, saying they will not tolerate abuse or intimidation about an actor’s work. It said creative freedom was “protected and defended by the syndicate”, while adding that it was committed to the values ​​of Egyptian society.
The Associated Press reached out to Netflix for comment on the controversy, but received no comment.
Egypt has long celebrated its film industry, which has earned it the nickname “Hollywood of the East,” attracting actors from other Arabic-speaking countries and bringing Egyptian films and dialects into Arab homes around the world.
Film critic Khaled Mahmoud said Egypt “made strong and bold films in the 1960s and 1970s”. But he added that much of that adventurous spirit has disappeared with the trend of so-called “clean films,” emphasizing themes deemed family-friendly, without physical intimacy or indecent attire.
“Society has changed, and the viewing culture is flawed.”
Storylines about an affair or a sexual relationship are not uncommon in Arabic films. But in interviews, female stars are often questioned whether they would agree to wear a swimsuit or kiss a partner on camera.
“Our job is to make art be art,” Mahmoud said. “We cannot criticize art from a moral standpoint.”
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