First it was Jinn, then Al Rawabi School for Girls. Netflix has proven itself to be a major player in Arab television. Now, the streaming service is venturing out into cinema. And they’ve just announced their first project.
One of 2016’s most-watched films, “Perfect Strangers”, will soon be seeing an Arab remake. Entitled “As-hab wala A’az,” the film is set to be released this January. If you’re not familiar, the tale follows seven close friends having a calm dinner night before they decide to play a tricky game. All attendees must place their phones in the same basket on the table and agree to make all texts, calls and voice messages public in an attempt to prove that they have absolutely nothing to hide from one another, including to their partners.
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As expected, the storyline starts revealing more than what the dinner guests were intending on initially sharing and culminates when one of the texts baits one of the friends out for being gay – an aspect of the plot that has remained unchanged in the Arab adaptation of the movie.
Gathering a rich cast of confirmed actors including Egyptian duo Eyad Nassar and Mona Zaki, Lebanese Adel Karam and George Khabbaz as well as industry-recognised Nadine Labaki, this will not be the first iteration of the film as it has already carried variations in over 18 other countries such as in France, Germany, Spain, Greece and South Korea.
Marking Wissam Smayra’s directing debut in the industry, the film will be available in over 190 countries through the American streaming giant’s platform. Now finally having a release date to look forward to, the region’s take on the Italian hit might be the must-watch to not miss in the new year.
