Hobal

Basic Information

HOPAL (2024) A Thoughtful Desert Drama

Rating: (7.5/10)

Genre: Drama

Runtime: 114 minutes

Director: Abdulaziz Al-Shalahi

Starring: Hamdi Al-Faridi, Reem Fahad, Mishaal Al-Mutairi

Film's Overview

Overview

HOPAL is a striking Saudi drama that invites viewers into a harsh yet beautiful desert world, exploring the fragility and strength of family bonds under pressure

Set in the early 1990s, the film delivers a powerful portrait of survival, tradition, and resilience.

Key Strengths

What Makes It Stand Out?

Authentic and emotionally grounded performances, particularly from the lead actors, who embody their roles with subtlety and power.

Stunning cinematography that captures the raw beauty and brutality of the desert landscape

Evocative musical score and well-designed soundscape that enhance the film's immersive atmosphere

Technical Aspects

Technical Highlights

Visuals and Cinematography

Visuals

The outdoor scenes are beautifully crafted with natural lighting and precise framing, while some indoor scenes feel less inspired in comparison.

Screenplay and Narrative

The screenplay addresses deep human struggles, though some segments suffer from slow pacing and repetitive beats.

Performance Assessment

Supporting performances vary slightly in consistency, but the overall ensemble remains effective

Overall Impression

HOPAL is a quiet yet compelling cinematic experience

It doesn't rely on spectacle, but rather on mood, emotion, and a deep connection to Saudi heritage

Despite minor flaws in pacing and some uneven scenes, it stands out as a unique contribution to modern Arab cinema-well worth watching for its emotional depth and visual storytelling.

The movie "Hobbal" is not just a movie, it is a truly inspiring cinematic experience that reflects the maturity of Saudi cinema and lets us see how promising the future can be after this work. Abdulaziz Al-Shalahi in directing and Mufrej Al-Majfal in writing presented a hearty meal for the viewers, that goes beyond the traditional story, and each character carried questions about fear and conflict.

Two grandchildren in a struggle for life for death or death for life, and the heroes of the movie embodied this struggle with all its depth. Mila Al-Zahrani gave a wonderful and real performance that touched our feelings, and Ibrahim Al-Hasawi, although his scenes were few, his presence was very strong and made you feel throughout the movie as if he kept hovering over the events and was very influential.

Even the children, although it was their first experience, were wonderful in a way that surprised me. The desert that you might see as a limited place became with this movie an artistic painting full of details and meanings.

"Hobbal" is not just a story, it is an invitation to think about how we live life with all its difficulties and simplicity. A movie like this is a big step forward in Saudi cinema, and deserves to be a landmark that we can be proud of.

I am very happy, of this Saudi product. Very good writing, plot, directing, acting, cinamatic shots and bringing a lot of subjects from Saudi culture.

Relating wrong thinking to religion, favorating kids from each others, laying, cheeting, and taking advantages of others and selfessness, this movie is so much but not too much really balanced 2 and a halh hour of storytelling.

Through the whole movie I felt the darkness of ingenuous, even when they are in the middle of the day under the brightest light of the sun.

I cried at least 3 times, laughed more than 5 times and at many times there were moments where I questioned the characters motives in many acts.

I so happy we reached a point where we (as Saudies) can suggust a saudi movie to others from other nationalities.

This is my first time in saudi where I watch a movie in cinama where everyone in the aoudiance are feeling worn and related with the characters where we are in the middle of winter and the tempreature is 16C.

This was amazing I enjoyed every bit of it, my family loved it as well and they are the picky type. As a part of one of Najd tribes, this was quite accurate according to my mom and grandmother, and it has brought them memories of when they were kids. The perfect amount of comedy and drama is brilliant I feel so proud of this masterpiece and of our Saudi artists. I personally can't wait for a sequel of the movie or if it would turn out to be a tv show, I think this movie makes a revolution in Saudi cinema. I've always known Saudis are exceptional and spectacular in everything they do, and this movie is proof of that. The only thing that is wrong with it is that it ended, I could literally watch this for hours and would not feel the time passing. Congratulations and thank you for this great work.

I went into Hobal not knowing much beyond the premise, and honestly, I was caught off guard-in the best way. Set in a remote corner of Saudi Arabia during the early '90s, the film unravels slowly, almost claustrophobically, as a Bedouin family spirals into paranoia and mistrust. There's something quietly haunting about how it all plays out, like watching a storm roll in, knowing it's going to hit but powerless to stop it.

Sara (Mila Al Zahrani), as the mother, brings this quiet resilience that grounds the whole film. She says more with a look than most actors do with a monologue.

And the child actors? Surprisingly great. Their performances felt raw and natural, like they weren't acting at all. It added an unsettling layer to the family dynamic, especially as things start to crack.

It's not for everyone-some might find the pacing too slow-but if you like character-driven stories that simmer with tension, this one's worth your time. Saudi cinema is definitely leveling up, and Hobal is proof!