Perfect Strangers, Netflix’s newest Arabic film, has sparked controversies across the Middle East since its debut.
The platform’s production is a remake of an Italian film of the same name. The film covers taboo subjects, spanning from relationships outside of marriage and sexuality. This sparked an uproar of people calling to ban the film earlier this month in Egypt and now in Kuwait. In addition, people across Egypt have voiced their concerns over the film’s shock value and disregard for Arab culture.
However, in Kuwait, lawyer Abdulaziz Saud Al-Subai’i has filed a lawsuit against the Kuwait Ministries of Information and Communications to ban the streaming platform for “moral and religious reasons.” While the case hasn’t come to any conclusions yet, this is not the first time we’ve heard of Kuwait calling to ban certain films.
Death on The Nile, Disney’s newest adventure film, already has its share of controversies. The film has been pushed back multiple times due to the Armie Hammer scandals (iykyk.)
While Disney removed him from the Death On The Nile trailer, he is still a prominent cast member, bringing a dark cloud over the film. Kuwait has even banned the movie due to Gal Gadot’s involvement, as the Israeli actress and Wonder Woman star has a history of being an IDF member. The state claimed “the decision was taken following demands on social media for the film to be banned” according to Kuwait’s Al-Qabas newspaper.