Netflix: Three Arabic offerings to watch in February
A lot of new year's resolutions involve watching less TV or giving it up altogether, but with the start of February, there might be more people looking to call it quits and resume binge-watching (no judgement here).
For those looking for Arabic language content, Netflix currently has one of the largest catalogues available, with enough shows to easily see out the winter.
Our selection of picks this month include a captivating sci-fi horror series, a show that delves into social issues in Egypt, and one that has caused controversy across the Middle East.
Release dates and availability may vary depending on your location
Paranormal
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Paranormal is Netflix's first Egyptian Arabic-language series, a gripping six-episode horror series based on the stories of best-selling author Ahmed Khaled Tawfiq.
The show blends horror and science fiction, and centres around Dr Refaat Ismail, a gloomy and cynical haematologist.
Throughout the series, the doctor is confronted with bizarre occurrences that he struggles to explain scientifically, all while navigating his failing romantic relationship, meddling siblings and terrible childhood memories.
Each episode is devoted to a separate phenomenon, with an overarching plot that follows Refaat's attempts to keep his family safe.
In one episode, Refaat returns home to his village near Mansoura in the Nile Delta, where the villagers are haunted by the cries of el-Naddaha, a supernatural creature of Egyptian folklore that enchants men who come too close to the river.
Other more familiar mythical creatures make an appearance, including a demon who descends upon sleepers and manifests itself in their nightmares.
For all of Refaat's issues, the series manages to weave a dark thread of humour into the protagonist's character.
Paranormal has been criticised for what some see as its lack of imagination, but it manages to establish an identity independent of the book series it is based on.
Hidden Worlds
The 2018 series Hidden Worlds is set in Cairo and follows an opposition journalist named Hilal Kamal, who discovers the memoirs of an actress, who is believed to have committed suicide in the city of Alexandria in 2010.
Played by comedic legend Adel Imam, Kamal soon finds out that the actress, Maryam Riyad, had been killed, with senior government officials and the mafia linked to her death.
Armed with details from the memoirs, Hilal forms a team in order to unearth the truth, putting himself and his family in danger in the process.
The 30-episode series addresses issues of injustice against orphans, the disintegration of families and corruption in public institutions.
Perfect Strangers
Netflix's first Arabic language film Perfect Strangers is a remake of the Italian hit of the same name and tells the story of seven close friends who play a game after meeting for dinner.
The characters place their phones on the dinner table, and agree to openly share all calls, texts and voice messages that arrive.
What begins as a quirky form of entertainment evolves as secrets and scandals are gradually exposed, with the friends revealing more than they had originally planned to share.
The film begins with hosts May and Walid, a couple stuck in a loveless marriage, who are dealing with their daughter's adolescent troubles. They invite Maryam and Sherif, another set of exhausted parents, as well as Ziad and Jana, a passionate newlywed couple, and Rabih, whose date to the party did not turn up.
Set in Lebanon, the film's star-studded Pan-Arab cast delivers enticing performances about a group of friends who until that night felt they had "known" each other for years.
Despite being a remake, the film has nevertheless courted controversy with its depictions of homosexuality and infidelity, with Egyptian lawmakers calling for the movie to be banned.
For all those criticisms, the movie sits comfortably at the top of Netflix's MENA viewership charts at the time of publication.
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