Unlimitedia Sick Product of a Sick System

Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

nightshadow7 The movie is about intersecting lives in this city, much like Crash or Amores Perros, in the end it all comes together somehow.I live in Dubai and quite enjoy it here... it is a place unlike no other on Earth. Funny thing is, there are certain "givens" or accepted truths and stereotypes about Dubai that this movie points out quite well. My favorite was the money-hungry Russian girl, sleeping around with anyone just to live a comfortable lifestyle, before coming to Dubai I truly believed this was an exaggeration from people but I've yet to meet one Russian girl that isn't this way and it makes the movie that much more accurate.There are three main stories told: Indian taxi driver who wants a better life but just can't seem to get to that next step. (most taxi drivers in Dubai are either Indian or Pakistani) Eastern-European flight attendant - Pretty much most non-Russian girls I've met in Dubai are flight attendants for Emirates Airlines, so its no surprise this character is one as well. Again quite accurate portrayal of life in Dubai. Her best friend is an easy Russian chick looking to meet rich Arabs to continue her posh lifestyle.Two young Emiratis (Arab) who come from money and live their wealthy lifestyle of partying and spending their parents cash.You can imagine all very different lifestyles but this is the beauty of Dubai, it really does contain these characters. Heck, I felt like I was watching people I knew on screen. The movie is quite predictable in many ways but definitely still worth a watch, especially if you live or have been to Dubai.

ianmat Feature-length films from competent Arab directors are rare. This one is both rare and good. My wife worked hard to persuade me to see the film after having seen it herself the day before. It is at first off-putting watching a film financed by product placement - largely due to my fellow similar goers cackling "ooh, that's Cat Boy and Geordie Bird" and a rather staged scene in a ballet school, but the film quickly reaches its stride.This film leaves every local watcher of all nationalities nodding and saying 'so true'. Like the film, Dubai isn't perfect by any means, but that doesn't mean both aren't great.It is a film about dreamers and their dreams, but set in almost real life. The Bollywood wannabe taxi driver Basu (perhaps the best portrayal in the film), the frustratingly wooden Natalia, playboy and eventual arch-villain Guy Berger: all have different dreams. For me, though, the Emirati characters steal the show. Summing up the brash yet uncertain confidence of this country and showing the true heart of the Emirati population. The final scenes involving Faisal, Khalfan and their families bring a tear to my eye every time. Just don't tell the wife.

Ali B Arab film fest DC. To my surprise there's an Emirati movie with a not so bad blurb. Decide to go check it out, hoping it's not clichéd or derivative.In short, movie was really really good. I was pretty much glued to the screen. Script was very smart and intertwined 3 story lines, and while it felt slightly forced in some parts it wasn't distracting. Cinematography was great, humor was intact and soundtrack for the most part was on key. As a Kuwaiti that grew up in the US, then lived in the UAE and Kuwait, only to come back to the US I feel very drawn to this movie. I actually feel this movie was made for my generation of English-as-a-first-language Arabs. Was very impressed, and glad that I went. While I wouldn't say this movie redefines cinema, it definitely shines as a stand alone title with enough originality to inspire future attempts from the Gulf.Highly recommended.

bozo2bozo2 This is a "Crash"-style story of lives in Dubai, set, apparently, just before the financial crash. Although it resembles, somewhat, "Crash," it manages to pull away from the most obvious clichés as it unfolds three or four representative stories from some of the major populations who live and work in the city. The low rating (currently 4.5) is entirely unjustified; it's a solid, competent work with only a few off notes, and in many ways it represents the arrival of first-class film-making to the Emirates. Each of the three major plots - Emirati, European-expat, and Indian-expat - have a strong narrative arc, and each come to a satisfying, if not always happy, end. In all, it's a fascinating view into worlds rarely, if ever, depicted on the world screen.