When I was in high school a thousand years ago, the only way to study Arabic was to order the ancient Dover Colloquila Arabic, which offered 19th century advice for travelers, like "learn to sit on the floor; chairs are uncommon." Or apply to one of the five universities in the U.S. that offered Arabic classes. Today you can take Arabic almost everywhere, study it on your phone with Duolingo, and watch a dozen Arabic-language comedies on Netflix.
I watched Sharma al-Ma'arif (The Book of Sun, also translated as The Sun of Gnosis). Based on the experiences of 26-year old filmmaker Faris Godus, it is about some high school goofballs in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, trying to make a low-budget horror film. (in 2010). The guys are:
1. Aspiring filmmaker and slacker Husam
2. His goofball bff, Maan
3. Tyrannical teacher Mr. Orabi
4. Weasely yes-man Ibrahim
They run into problems with followng societal norms. For instance, in the scene where the female character is at home, she shouldn't be wearing a hijab, but they can't be in the same room with her without a hijab.
The Sun of Gnosis (Sharma al-Ma'arif) is a 13th century book of occult knowledge popular among Muslim mystics. I read an interview with the writer/director, but he didn't explain the title.
Beefcake: No. There's an animated version of a semi-nude Husam. The high school is all-male, of course.
Other Sights: I was hoping for som exteriors in Jeddah, but it was all interiors.
Heterosexism: No references to heterosexual romance. No major female characters.
Gay Reference: The guys discuss what to do if Mr. Orabi wants to have sex with them. Will just saying "No, thank you" work? They come up with a "safe word" to use.
Hossam imagines himself as a shopping mall security guard, trying to eject a bruiser because he's wearing shorts. "I'll wear whatever I want!" the bruiser yells. "I'll wear a bikini if I want to!"
Gay Subtexts: The guys are hanging all over each other all the time, but that is commonplace in Arab cultures.
Hearing Arabic: Yes.
My Grade: B
The trailer looks funny and the lead actor is cute
ReplyDeleteI think I'll change the grade to B. I was just disappointed at the lack of exterior shots.
ReplyDeleteBoomer have you seen "Going Back" starring Bruce Campbell and Christopher Howe as high school seniors on a road trip. Amazon prime is selling this as gay film but it's more about bro bonding- the two guys have some spoken attraction which the the director does not want to deal with. There is very homoerotic bunk house scene and Christopher How looks very nice in his underwear
ReplyDeleteNo, I haven't heard of it. Bruce Campbell is the guy who does the "Evil Dead" franchise, and I'm not familiar with Christopher Howe.
DeleteYou can study it on your phone, but miss one lesson and that damned bird ties you to a stake during a haboob.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I don't think Saudis in general know what to do with gay men, but the subtext, the isolation from women...It's the most sub-textual country on Earth.