Barakah Rencontre Barakah

Barakah yoqabil Barakah (Blessing meets Blessing) is an utterly delightful, 70-80% accurate, indie romp through the pitfalls of modern day Saudi youths ' romantic lives. I highly recommend it as a lighthearted, uplifting comedy with a touch of poignency.As an experienced American English teacher, who has taught females in KSA, in 4 different cities, as well as tutored young Saudi males at An American University for a couple of years, combined with being old enough myself to remember seeing the historical television clips of a different time in Arabic cultural history, I feel confident that I am making an accurate assessment relative to KSA juxtaposed with other cultures, in the Middle East & all over the world. Although a touch cartoonish at times, a really entertaining enjoyable RomCom with a true butterflies eye view. Ten stars.

My first ever Arabic language film in spite of having spent 17 years in the Middle East! Yes, a shame indeed. I am happy that my eye opener towards Arabic Cinema is a neatly made film and a pleasant surprise!

Clever political taunts come tactfully packaged within the framework of a heartwarming romantic comedy. It is surprising how Saudi passed a film that is clearly critical of their regressive society. It smartly shows mirror to Saudi's medieval practices of religion-influenced administration.

Highly recommended for World Cinema lovers!

A good move for Saudi cinema. The humorous side was very good in this film especially for actor Sami Hanafi. On the humanitarian level, I love Hisham Fakih, but I felt that his performance was a kind of weakness in this film and the dialogues were rather weak in the film. What is good is to break the taboo and show romance amid the militancy that exists in Saudi Arabia. The hero and heroine try to find solutions to all obstacles. In general, I enjoyed the beginning of Saudi cinema in its openness. I hope for more and more of this kind of movies and even better. A special shoutout to the director Mahmoud Sabbagh he did a really good job in this movie.

From a Muslim and an Arabic person who is proud of his culture, I find this film offensive to Islam teachings and values. I guess this film was written as an American film but somehow the director thought it would be OK to make a Saudi version of it. It's not only against Islam teachings and what prohphet Mohammad -peace be upon him- told us, it's trying make that kind of behavior acceptable in our society. He criticized the society for things the society didn't come up with, things that are from Islam teachings as I mentioned. The director knew his movie will never be acceptable. Because if he doesn't know that, this movie would be on Netflix in MENA.

I'm a simple person. If you tell me there is a Saudi rom-com available on Netflix, I will watch it. It's with this mindset I put the movie on; not with any expectation but with curiosity for this cinematic oddity.

Well, damn. After Wadjda, this is two for two for Saudi cinema, fighting to exist in a country that until last week hadn't had a single legal cinema for over 30 years. Barakah follows the lives of two young Saudis both named Barakah, a working-class man who works for the religious police and the daughter of a rich couple who made a lucrative career out of social media celebrity.

Behind its simple guy-meets-girl premise, Barakah Meets Barakah portrays the contradictions and frustrations of Saudi youth. Far from the usual religious-secular dichotomy the country is usually portrayed with, the movie shows the nuances of life in Saudi.

The two leads are a perfect match, 'Bibi' with the freedom her class allows her and a mouth she cannot shut and Barakah, much more shy and reserved with a male privilege he doesn't know what to do with.

This movie made my heart ache, my blood boils while making me laugh out loud.

More than an oddity, a must-watch.