Naga

Meshal Aljaser definitely has a vision with this story as the narrative and concept is an interesting idea about culture, freedom and so forth but unfortunately, despite some really good visual scenarios and a pretty good performance from the main actress, the sloppy structure of the narrative, messy camerawork, and uninteresting characters causes the movie to feel disjointed and unfulfilling.

Saudi Arabian cinema is something I have seen much from and I like to explore new films from Middle East but there are some good moments but the messy writing and lack of emotional connection to the characters made the movie more dull and boring to observe. Aljaser's direction is doing his best but it seems there is a lot more missing than fully achieved.

Tbh, my life and the lives of many of my friends were represented in the film a little: it was forbidden to go out and the people were strict. In any case, it cannot be denied that these behaviors exist in any Arab society.

I also understand her lying and her fear of her father at the end of the film. Many of our fathers were victims of their fathers and are now applying what they learned to their children.

The actress is beautiful and her facial expressions are good in acting, unlike the men who acted with her who lacked acting and cleanliness.

I didn't understand it well until I saw some analysis on Twitter.

This looks like an indie movie made by a struggling film school student who had just learned a few visual tricks. So much camera movement from unnecessary angles. I know it's the trend nowadays but the movements have to serve a purpose which I am not sure the director had one.

It seems that the story was intended for a short movie and for some reason somebody thought it was a good idea to make it a 113 minutes long film!

I could keep going but it was so awful that writing about it -even negatively- only makes it less awful than it actually is. You have to see it for yourself.

Finally, a word for young filmmakers: focus on writing. It's what separates a good movie from a bad one.

Naga offers a good storyline that initially draws you in. However, a major drawback is the excessive use of light effects and frequent camera rotations, which unfortunately overshadow the narrative's strengths. This excessive visual flair reached a point where it became a hindrance to my viewing experience, to the extent that I had to stop watching due to feeling dizzy. Despite the intriguing story, these overpowering visual choices made it challenging to continue. This film, while promising in concept, fails to maintain a balance between visual spectacle and storytelling, ultimately detracting from what could have been an engaging experience.

Sarah lives with her strict parents; one day she asks if she can go shopping in town with a friend. Her father tells her that he will pick her up at ten o'clock in the evening at a specified point. Shortly afterwards she removes her niqab and meets her boyfriend. He has arranged for them to go to a party in the desert; he assures her that he will get her back by ten. Things don't go as hoped. They have difficulties in finding the party and once there Sarah finds herself in a situation that quickly turns from uncomfortable to dangerous. Events lead to her struggling to make her own way back to Riyadh; this involves getting past a psychotic camel and a group of yobs amongst other problems.

I had no idea what to expect from this having not seen any Saudi films before... if I'd tried to speculate what might happen I'd have been totally wrong. It manages to switch from disturbing to comic and back again regularly. Sarah is a great main character; she is likeable but far from perfect. Adwa Bader does a really great job in the role. I thought to camera work was good and I liked to locations; the desert has a great atmosphere. From other reviews I can see this is a love it or loathe it type of film; personally I loved it and would recommend others give it a go.

These comments are based on watching the film in Arabic with English subtitles.