Scheherazade, Tell Me A Story Film Difficulty Ranking: 2
Why Watch Scheherazade, Tell Me A Story?
- If you like ‘real’ stories and storytelling
- To see how entrenched the patriarchy can be (and is)
- It’s an entertaining watch, because of it’s brilliant use of melodrama
From: Egypt, Africa Watch: Trailer, Mubi, Prime Video, JustWatch Next: After the Battle, The Insult, Saudi Runaway
Reality and Storytelling
Scheherazade, Tell Me A Story centers on Hebba, a female talk show host in Egypt. Her show talks about political issues and other contemporary issues. One day, her husband asks her to remove the politics from her show to help his chances of a promotion in his job. (Husbands must keep their wives under control). To help her husband, she offers a compromise: she’ll start interviewing everyday women instead of focusing on the country’s failures. So she picks out women from the street and brings them onto her show to interview. Their stories build a picture of a woman’s experience in Egypt.
Everyone’s Life is Political
Problem for Hebba’s husband, is that, in a oppressively patriarchal society, every woman’s experience is political. Even though each of her interviewees aren’t deep into politics, they were all oppressed by men – from government ministers to men in the working class. So whilst they don’t explicitly criticize the Egyptian government, their experiences reveal just how entrenched the government supported patriarchy is.
For example, one interviewee highlights her first date with a government minister that gave her a list of rules for how to behave when they would be married. Another speaks of a male employee taking advantage of three sisters that help him out.
Together, the interviews reveal that the patriarchy determines everything from what people can do, to who gets to succeed, from the content of TV shows to who is expected to cook at home. For women, the patriarchy is inescapable. The interviewee’s experiences screened live on broadcast TV therefore become a challenge to the male dominated government.
Adding Flavor with Melodrama
The film handles heavy issues with ease thanks to it’s use of melodrama. Whilst some of Nasrallah’s other films use a bit too much melodrama making them feel less believable, he found the perfect balance of melodrama for Scheherazade. It contains just enough juicy relationship drama, personal heart to heart stories, and sexiness to keep popular audiences entertained. But not enough to put off more critical viewers. Nasrallah also uses melodrama to make Hebba’s life off camera feel like an extension of the drama presented on her show to emphasize the wide reach of the patriarchy. His use of melodrama therefore turns a heavy and important message (featuring government criticism) into something more palatable and enjoyable to everyone.
What to Watch Next
If you’re looking for more dramatic Egyptian films, check out Nasrallah’s other films such as After the Battle and Brooks, Meadows, and Lovely Faces. You could also watch another Egyptian woman fighting her battle against the patriarchy in Asmaa.
Or for more melodrama from the Arabic world, check out Lebanon’s The Insult. It shows how words can start wars.
Or for more films about Arabic women standing up to the patriarchy, check out the thrilling Saudi Arabian documentary, Saudi Runaway, and the gradual decline of freedom in Algeria’s Papicha.
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