The anthology series explores the dark comedy that can be found in love through eight short films.
Each one is directed by renowned directors from seven Arab countries including Beshara and Nashaat (Egypt), Hany Abu Assad and Amira Diab (Palestine), Michel Kammoun (Lebanon), Mahmoud Sabbagh (Saudi Arabia), Abdulmohsen AlDhabaan (Saudi Arabia), Kaouther Ben Hania (Tunisia) and Hicham Lasri (Morocco).
Influenced by their own countries and culture, each director tells a story that occurs on Valentine’s Day that come with unexpected twists and turns that explores love at large and relationships up close.
Produced by Union of Video & Filmmakers with Antoine Khalife as the project producer, Love, Life and Everything In Between was developed by Egyptian screenwriter Azza Shalaby.
National Day of Mourning in Mexico
Khairy Beshara’s episode is entitled "National Day of Mourning in Mexico" and is written by Nura ElSheikh, starring Asser Yassin, Nadah El Shazly, Aly Sobhy and Nura Cheichaa in the main cast. The renowned director expressed enjoyment of “making films that transcend time and space and not bound by concrete reality.”
“The characters roam in the dystopian space of a frightening and inhumane society, where Valentine’s Day is forbidden and those who celebrate it are punished to the extent that the color red is taboo and books, songs or films that express love are banned,” stated Beshara, adding that he felt that he was paying homage to Francois Truffaut’s Fahrenheit 451 (1966) while reviving it from a new perspective.
The multi-award-winning Beshara, 74, is one of the most important Egyptian directors of the 1990s who established the neo-realism genre with many significant films like The Collar and the Bracelet (1986), Bitter Day, Sweet Day (1988), Ice Cream in Gleam (1992), Abracadabra America (1993), Traffic Light (1995), Crab (1990), Wild Desire (1991), Strawberry War (1993) and Nutshell (1995).
Beshara, who is being honoured at the 23rd Ismailia Film Festival this month, also directed a number of television series like Habiba's Heart (2005), Self (2012), episodes 17 to 30, The People of Alexandria (2014), The Flood (2017), and Karma's Curse (2018).
O’Brother
Sandra Nashaat tells the story of a character with Down Syndrome that brings a loving couple back together in O’Brother. The story highlights “inclusion, diversity, and acceptance in a story about love in unexpected plot,” according to Netflix.
Written by Rafik Morkos, the plot of O’Brother – casting Egyptian star Ahmed Ezz as well as Passant Shawky, Salah Abdallah and Adham Hossam – begins when a village leader calls off his daughter’s engagement when his lucky charm goes missing, thinking it is a bad omen.
“Love is life in its sentence; neither syndrome nor separable,” stated the director.
The 52-year-old multi-award-winning director has previously directed several long narrative films that saw major commercial success including Mabrouk Wa Bolbol (1998), Leh Khaletny Ahebak (2000), Harameya Fi KG2 (2002), Haramiyyah Fi Tayland (2003), Mallaki Iskandariya (2005), Al Rahina (2006), Masgoon Transit (2008) and El-Maslaha (2012).
Love, Life and Everything In Between will be available on Netflix in 190 countries, subbed in 33 languages, and dubbed to five languages starting this Thursday.
Netflix is expanding its Arabic production in recent years with several TV shows like Paranormal, Abla Fahita’s Drama Queen, Al-Rawabi School for Girls and most recently Finding Ola, in addition to its first Arabic film Ashab Wala Aaz, the Arabic remake of Perfect Strangers, that caused a wide controversy when released last month.
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