Lamma dehket Monaliza

Went to see "When MonaLiza Smiled" last night here in Amman. When I came in, I didn't expect much. For one, I'm a jaded and cynical lawyer who used to work in the Entertainment industry in Los Angeles, so I generally think of 90% of movies as complete crap. And because, compared to the Israeli or Iranian movie industries, Arab film-making still has far to go. Consequently, I didn't have high hopes. I basically expected yet another fare of Arab made-for-TV-movie quality where I would spend most of the night checking my smart phone and sleeping.

However, I was immensely surprised by how good "When MonaLiza Smiled" was. I'm not sure how to describe the movie to my fellow foreigners - but it's basically like the Jordanian version of "Amelie". It's sweet, insightful, and entertaining. The characters are well drawn with good back stories. The movie makes good points about the complexity of Jordanian and Arab society without ever seeming "preachy". And it's just a generally fun date movie.

I look forward to seeing other movies by this director/writer. He's got talent. If he can produce a movie of this quality on $120,000 budget- it will be impressive to see what he can do in the future with a few million. A+.

As a cinephile, I've been trying to be more in touch with my identity and discover new Arabic movies.

I have to say this will be added to my top list of Arabic movies. It reminded me a lot of the comfort I got from watching Amélie and it was a lot more relatable and wholesome since it hit home. Will definitely rewatch whenever I need a break from life!

I like to consider myself a movie buff. "When Monaliza Smiles" has to be one of the best films I have ever seen! "When Monaliza Smiles" delivers a breath of fresh air to the film industry with its powerful love story being told by the film's lovable cast of quirky characters. I would definitely (and already have) recommend this film to anyone who loves movies! I can't wait to see what else the director, Fadi Haddad, comes out with next!

I am in charge at the Arab Film Festival for the Arab American National Museum. We recently screened "When Monaliza Smiles" at our film festival to a very grateful audience. I spoke afterwards with a few folks who attended the screening and loved it so much, that they asked where they could view it again and show it to their friends. The positive feedback from a whole room full of folks who loved the film speaks volumes!