The Arabic remake of the hit Italian feature film Perfect Strangers sparked a storm of backlash in several Middle Eastern countries, including Egypt, due to the topics covered, including homosexuality and extramarital relationships. Some defend a nuanced position, without condemning “immorality” of the film nor endorse it.
“The crisis of Ashab Wala A’aaz arrives in front of the deputies”, headlined the Egyptian daily Al-Masry Al-Youm on January 24, after a deputy demanded, without success, the prohibition of the distribution of the film.
Produced by the American platform Netflix, Ashab Wala A’aaz (“The best friends in the world”) “creates controversy in the Egyptian street because of the audacity of the themes addressed. It is frowned upon by the majority, but some defend it in the name of democracy and artistic freedom”, comments the newspaper.
“Normalization of homosexuality”
Among the controversial subjects in the image, homosexuality comes first, followed by infidelity within the couple, as well as “many racy terms and scenes”. This Arabic version is inspired by the Italian film Perfect strangers, released in 2016 and which has already seen many remakes in various languages, including The game, in French, or Perfect Strangers, in English.
Released on January 20, the Arabic language adaptation, bringing together Middle Eastern stars of the big screen, rose in a few days “at the top of the most-watched films this week in Egypt, Lebanon and other countries in the region”, reports The Washington Post.
The film features friends who decide, for an evening, to put their phone on speakerphone for any call received, or to listen to the messages they receive, revealing hidden aspects of their personality and their privacy.
“A gay man comes out after years of hiding. A father receives a phone call from his teenage daughter about her
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Philippe Mischkowsky