Indian Matchmaking may be making a lot of noise online, but it is another Netflix offering, on a similar theme, which perhaps deserves attention:
The Matchmaker. The titular matchmaker of this Arabic original may not have the natural candour of our Sima aunty, but it takes a rather interesting path to hold up a mirror to centuries of male oppression and toxic masculinity prevalent in the region.
The feminist revenge drama, which is a telling commentary on the controversial system of Misyar (a marital contract where the woman renounces her right to live with her husband and seek financial assistance, allowing the man to pursue other women) starts off in an almost mythical fashion.
A voiceover talks about a legend where a woman escaped an abusive marriage by burning her husband alive in the desert and turning him into a zombie-like slave for herself.
Cut to the present, we are introduced to Tarek (Hussam Alharthy), whose psyche is moulded by long hours of listening to podcasts where ‘alpha’ men spew misogynistic values that we are all too aware of. Even as his loving wife and daughter wait for him to return to them, he is aggressively pursuing a younger, “better” woman at work.
So much so that when she quits to get married, he hops on to a plane to follow her to the wedding venue. Except that he lands in a strange hotel in an eerie desert land that appears familiar. This is where the film takes a turn for magic realism. Shrieks and screams fill the corridors of the hotel which is flooded with droves of unfaithful men-turned-zombies, in what seems like an uncanny reference
to the legend that started it all.
The Matchmaker can be viewed as a critical take on Misyar, in particular, and patriarchy in general, but more than anything, it comes across as a solid psychological thriller. There is enough mystery, chase and fantasy to keep the viewers hooked through the crisp run-time of less than 90 minutes. It is evident that the makers wanted it to be more engaging than educating, and we are not complaining.
The Matchmaker
Director: Abdulmohsen Aldhabaan
Genre: Psychological thriller
Platform: Netflix
Language: Arabic