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Barakah Meets Barakah

Name: Barakah Meets Barakah
Director: Mahmoud Sabbagh
Released: 2016
Duration: 88 min

Representation Score

6.3/10

Good

2016

Director

Mahmoud Sabbagh

Runtime

88 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Barakah Meets Barakah is a sophisticated look at how individuals navigate traditional social pressures. It uses personal ability to act and modern connectivity to challenge traditionalist norms. The film's strength lies in its subversion of gendered restrictions and its exploration of social surveillance. It avoids Westernized clichés and offers a genuine narrative rooted in its Saudi setting. Ultimately, the film examines personal liberation within the tension between individual freedom and societal constraints.

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Category Breakdown

Does Barakah Meets Barakah have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film focuses on a heterosexual relationship without showing same-sex intimacy. It challenges the idea that everyone is straight by emphasizing the personal desires of the main characters.

How does Barakah Meets Barakah portray gender?

Good

Barakah is a strong, independent woman who drives the story rather than being passive. She uses her intelligence and digital skills to challenge traditional gender roles.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Barakah Meets Barakah?

Good

The cast reflects a non-Western perspective that avoids the typical 'white gaze' portrayal. Though ethnically uniform, the film stays true to its Saudi context.

How does Barakah Meets Barakah represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The film critiques religious institutions by showing them as barriers to personal connections. Characters use technology to circumvent strict social and religious rules.

Does Barakah Meets Barakah include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no significant depiction of visible or invisible disabilities in the film.

Present on Screen

Strong subversion of traditional gender roles through a powerful female lead.
Authentic cultural representation that avoids Western stereotypes.
Effective critique of social and religious institutionalism through modern technology.

Limited or Absent

Lack of explicit LGBTQ+ representation or diverse gender identities.
No visible or invisible disability representation among the characters.

Official Synopsis

The story of two lovers who are united in an environment hostile to dating of any kind. Barakah is municipal civil servant from Jeddah and an amateur actor in a theatre troupe. Barakah is a wild beauty, who functions as a crowd-puller for her stylish mother’s boutique and runs her own widely-seen vlog. They both defy customs and traditions, as well as the religious police, using modern communication technologies and traditional dating methods.

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