Cairo- The first Arab film produced by the famous American company Netflix in Egypt sparked widespread controversy in the Arab world because of the issues it addressed and the scenes it contained.

The film and its heroes, “Friends.. and my dearest”, which began showing on the 20th of this month on the company’s platform, received a barrage of attack and criticism and a torrent of praise and praise as well, but the biggest attack focused on the Egyptian artist Mona Zaki, and her name and the name of the film have been issued on social networking sites since Starting the movie, watching it and interacting with it.

In the short headlines, the film is “one game that reveals all the secrets”, as the company promoted on its website on the communication sites, and it stars Mona Zaki, Nadine Labaki, Iyad Nassar and others.

And in the subheadings it says company: “The facts unfold at a dinner party when a group of best friends leave their phones unlocked on the table, revealing exciting interactions and dark secrets, without providing any further details.”

Netflix (Netflix) is a streaming service that delivers a variety of award-winning TV shows, movies, anime, documentaries and other works from thousands of internet-connected devices, according to the company’s website.

Controversial movie details

In detail, revealed Egyptian sites Local and social media pioneers that the film touched on “homosexuality” and moral openness, and the absence of the role of the censor in the family, in addition to some scenes and words that are outside the traditions of the eastern Arab society, which are issues that usually raise division in the Arab street whenever they are raised and addressed in any work. artistic or literary.

commerce not art

The team rejecting the film presented a lot of evidence that the artwork does not include any real creativity in the first Arab work of the international company, but rather resorted to the “expendable” story and was presented in many countries and languages ​​of the world, as well as the company’s reliance on touching “taboos” in society to reap The largest number of views and profits, not to present a real work of art added to Arab and international art.

summoned the movie The movements of some lawyers and representatives who expressed their strong rejection of the film and its content, and local media reported that a lawyer had issued a warning to the Minister of Culture, Enas Abdel Dayem, in preparation for filing a lawsuit against the Ministry of Culture and Artistic Works to stop showing the film.

accused Lawyer Ayman Mahfouz’s artwork spreads social poisons through some scenes and phrases that may afflict the morals and etiquette of society and consolidate the idea of ​​absolute sexual freedom without link or controls.

Summary of the movie Mohamed Hefzy, “Friends or Dearest”
▪️ Parents must give their daughter freedom to go to sleep at the boy friend.
▪️ Companions on the same table betray each other at times.
▪️ You must accept the homosexual and accompany him as normal.
⬇️⬇️
The problem with Egyptian art is that it does not want to present art, but it does want to corrupt society, and this is a main goal for them.

– Dina دين دينا (@ Dina_2096) January 22, 2022

Very upset about this movie
Anomaly, immorality and insulting religion in the film
There is no ruling on us that is haram or halal, not even morals, habits, or anything else
I was very afraid, and God is great for the coming generations
The Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “There will come a time when one who adheres to his religion will be like holding onto a coal of fire.”#friends_nor_dear#Mona Zaki pic.twitter.com/HqScber8uz

— Adam Rayan (@AdamRay95646326) January 23, 2022

At the parliamentary level, the Dekheila, Amriya and Burj Al Arab (west of Alexandria) deputies page on the social networking site Facebook reported that Ahmed Khalil Khairallah, head of the Parliamentary Committee of the Al-Nour Party, presented an urgent statement regarding the movie “Friends and Dearest,” which endangers the Egyptian family.

The statement said – according to the page – that the film contradicts the values ​​of the Egyptian society, calling for a lawsuit to be filed by the Attorney General against the Egyptian participants in this film on charges of inciting immorality and values ​​that violate the morals of society, and demands the government to block the Netflix application from Egypt for displaying issues that contradict our religion, values ​​and morals. The Representative Professions Syndicate also called for stopping and preventing all Egyptians who participated in this shameful act.

Supporters and defenders of reality and art

On the other hand, the film and its heroes found many supporters and supporters, and Tamer Habib said in a post on his Facebook page, “Gentlemen, Karam, the viewer has the right to watch the film and admire it or reject and criticize it, and the filmmakers have the right to have absolute freedom in Submit any ideas they wish to present and discuss.

Art critic Tariq El-Shennawy defended the role of actress Mona Zaki, and said that her role in the film could not be described as “a moral failure,” explaining that “the artist cannot be counted on what he presents within any artwork.”

He ruled out, in televised statements on one of the satellite channels, that he transmitted it Al-Masry Al-Youm websiteThe aim of the artwork is to promote moral acts contrary to societal values, and stressed that the film does not promote homosexuality, as he put it.

Lawyer and former presidential candidate Khaled Ali became involved in the ongoing controversy, and said: “The film is bold and unconventional and raises issues that Arab cinema has not discussed, but it is realistic no matter how much we try to deny, silence, and ignore, and no matter how much we attack and criticize.”

He believed that the issues raised by the film are not far from many Arab homes that coexist with these social phenomena, but under the cover of silence and non-disclosure, and considered that what Mona Zaki presented in the role that she presented with all ability and artistic and human maturity is not something to be ashamed of, but she raised a cry in millions Arab families, he said.

A movie…no sweeter🤍
Salute to every actress and actor for this wonderful performance and to everyone who worked on this film, which reflects the reality of a segment of Arab society, no matter how some try to deny this reality and hide behind the truth and impose its vision of society on us.
#friends_nor_dear pic.twitter.com/5oEqwX9gdG

– NicoleHajal (@NicoleHajal) January 22, 2022

Sorry about what I will say, but one has seen films in Egypt that raise much more controversy than “friends or dear ones” 😃, whether as a scenario or even scenes, I see that the only problem with the film is that one needs a translation of the script when it turns “Lebanese” so it is necessary The TV is louder than the other so that I can understand what they are saying 😂

— Ayman Gelbo (@AymanGelberto) January 23, 2022

This isn’t the first time she’s teased company Sharp criticism, whether at the Arab or even Western level, the platform faces many accusations in several societies and countries about its role in destroying values ​​and promoting immoral acts in its films and series, including the promotion of sexual abuse of children.