Review: Barakah Meets Barakah

Barakah Meets Barakah is a Saudi Arabian film released in 2016. It is a drama-comedy written and directed by Mahmoud Sabbagh and shot entirely in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The story focuses on a middle-class man named Barakah and Bibi, a woman from a wealthy family, as they fall in love. Barakah works as a civil servant who travels around the city giving out tickets for minor offenses. Bibi is an Instagram star who posts female empowering videos to gain likes and followers. The two meet while Bibi is participating in a photo shoot, however it is happening in a restricted area and Barakah arrives to give them a citation. Despite the offense, Barakah is lenient and lets them continue because is stunned by Bibi. The couple discovers that they have an immediate chemistry and would like to continue their relationship, but they are hindered by Saudi Arabia’s strict public policies and have a difficult time finding appropriate settings to meet. The two are separated by the challenges they face and the differences in their lives, but they eventually meet each other once again. The ending leaves uncertainty and allows the viewer to decide what will happen between Bibi and Barakah.

While watching the film, some stereotypes commonly held by the west, or anyone outside of the Middle East, could be reinforced. The Arab world, especially Saudi Arabia, often comes with certain connotations in the minds of those who have not studied the area or do not have any real understanding of the culture. Possibly the most widespread assumption is the oppression of women, which includes their inability to be in public without supervision and the fact that either their father or husband has control of their decisions. Throughout the film, viewers can find this idea to be correct by the way that Bibi is unable to meet with Barakah in public, like in a coffee shop. Also, in the way that it was unthinkable that she would be able to choose a partner herself, but it was completely decided by her parents. In addition, the audience can further see the limitations of women by the way Bibi must crop her Instagram videos as to not show her face. For these reasons, it is unlikely that this film would reverse anyone’s thinking about the conditions of women in the Arab world. However, this aspect may have been intentional, as director and cast try to portray the accurate circumstances faced by women in the region in an attempt to alter the status quo.

Although the film may strengthen some stereotypes held about societies of the Middle East it takes care to breakdown others. First, the film itself defies what others may consider the norm when it comes to films from Arab countries. Outsiders may expect all forms of art to be serious and political with an intent to bring about change instead of just being entertaining. Although the film has an underlying political sense, it is mainly a comedy which seems to have been created to make people laugh and enjoy the story. Second, Barakah Meets Barakah shows the similarities between the west and the Arab world. The film is centered around two people trying to make a romantic relationship work despite the obstacles they encounter, which parallels the plot for many American movies. Barakah works as civil servant, which would be the equivalent of a police officer in the United States and Bibi is just like any other influencer found on social media. The film is shot in a city that could resemble any western city in the world like Los Angeles or London. These aspects of the film have the ability to reveal to the audience the true culture of the Arab world and not something made up by the media or those uneducated about the Middle East.