On Twitter, the film sparked a barrage of homophobic messages, accused by some of encouraging homosexuality and “moral degradation,” and “putting Western ideas in a conservative society.” One user accused the film of being a “crime,” adding that not only should it be banned but that everyone involved should face “prosecution.” Netflix, CBS Commanded the Most Viewing Time in 2021-22 While it was expected to become a major talking point and push boundaries - featuring a gay character and other storylines considered taboo and rarely discussed outright on screen in many Middle East countries - few would have anticipated the immediate wave of controversy it would provoke.
The film - the latest in a long line of international remakes of the 2016 Italian hit Perfect Strangers and starring Capernaum writer-director Nadine Labaki and Egyptian star Mona Zaki - tells the story of a group of friends in Lebanon who one night play a game where they make all the calls and text messages on their phones available to one another, unveiling various secrets and scandals. But at the same time it has also received critical acclaim and been strongly defended by the artistic community and beyond. 20, getting criticized by an Egyptian politician and accused of, among other things, perversion, promoting homosexuality and infidelity and even being part of a plot to disrupt Arab society. Perfect Strangers, Netflix’s first Arabic original feature, has come under intense fire from conservatives across the Middle East within days of its launch on Jan.