Meshal Al Jaser’s 2023 Netflix film, Naga, chronicled the story of Sarah (Adwa Bader), an average teenager who wanted to break free from the social constraints she was stuck in. Sarah grew up in a highly conservative Muslim family that imposed strict rules on practically everything, spanning from spending time with friends to going out shopping. As expected of their religion, Sarah was told to cover her face in a hijab and the rest of her body in a burka to avoid objections and trouble from her conservative neighbors and parents. However, the more restrictions were imposed on her, the more Sarah wanted to break the rules established by her religion.
Spoilers Ahead
Why Did Sarah Agree To Go To Camp With Saad?
One fine afternoon, Sarah secured permission from her father (Khalid Bin Shaddad) for a shopping retreat, but rather than picking up dresses for an upcoming wedding, she planned to do something else. Sarah’s friend and potential love interest, Saad, told her about a camp located in the middle of the desert that she certainly won’t ever regret going to. Sarah, even though hesitant at first because of her strict curfew, agreed to take the gamble when Saad promised to get her back before 9. But when do things ever go the way you want them to?
What Sarah thought would be fun turned out to be a major letdown. Saad and Sarah’s original plan was to attend the party, drink some alcohol, and dance a little, but it hardly came to that. Saad tried his best but couldn’t contact the man who was supposed to send him the location of the party. In addition, while they were on the road, Saad and Sarah were harassed by a gun-wielding man. They also encountered a couple of middle-aged men who questioned their decision to roam around town together. Fortunately, Saad’s friend delivered on his promise, and the couple reached the party with a couple more hours remaining until Sarah’s curfew.
What Happened At The Camp?
The party was jam-packed with famous men, including a so-called genius poet whom Sarah’s father deeply adored. Everything was going well until Saad left Sarah behind, and she ended up in a couple of disagreements. While looking for a Samsung charger, Sarah also found out that Abu Fahad, the great poet, was, in reality, a fraud and paid others to write his poems. Sarah caught Abu Fahad in the act of asking Abdullah, his poet friend, to create a poem specially for the Saudi national team ahead of a big soccer match. The intent of the poem was to inspire the national team to conquer their enemies and bring the trophy home. However, the entire party was disrupted when the cops raided the place. Saad and Sarah tried to escape but were stopped by the cops, who blamed them for blasphemy and profanity. Saad was arrested for possession of drugs and illegal psychedelics, while Sarah managed to evade capture by hiding inside the car trunk. Sarah was running out of time, but none of her problems matched the severity of a wild camel whose calf Saad had run over while looking for the camp. Since the calf was badly injured, they had to put it out of its misery. This didn’t sit quite well with the mature camel, and she escaped out of the barn to take revenge for her calf’s death. Sarah tried to handle the situation by trying to pet her, but the camel attacked her with her hoofs, injuring her.
Was Sarah Able To Reach Home?
Yes, Sarah did reach home, but not before going through a lot! While Sarah was hiding in the car trunk, fearing for her life, she called Hadeel, her friend, asking her to pick her up from the desert. To her dismay, before Sarah could send Hadeel her location, her battery died, leaving her with no choice but to cover the rest of the journey on foot. Even if Sarah managed to hitch a ride, she would have to deal with the traffic in case the Saudi National Team won the match. People would surely flood onto the roads and streets to celebrate it, Sarah figured. Somehow, after ditching the rabid camel, Sarah secured a quad bike and began retracing her steps back to the market. She passed the mosque sheepfold, but unfortunately, her quad bike died at the place that was covered with animal corpses. Despite all the hiccups, Sarah pressed on and ran all the way to the Riyadh market. Upon arrival, Sarah found that the market was engulfed in flame because one of the sweet shops had caught fire. Sarah also noticed her father standing in the crowd, who was supposed to pick her up from the same spot. However, Sarah couldn’t approach him for mainly two reasons: first, she was way past her curfew, and second, she had lost her hijab, which was inside the purse that she had left in the ice cream truck.
Knowing her father’s penchant for Islamic rules and regulations, Sarah figured it wouldn’t be a good idea to approach him. In this time of crisis, Sarah saw the flaming store as a blessing in disguise rather than a tragedy. She used her wit, rubbed charcoal on her face, and exited from a spot near the flaming building to make it look like she had survived the fire. Sarah’s father hugged her rather than bashing her for losing her hijab and missing the curfew. As Naga came to an end, we saw that the Saudi national team had won the match. To commemorate the victory, Abu Fahad read his poem on the radio for the entire Saudi population to listen to. This made Sarah wish to post the video she had taken of Abu Fahad, proving that he had no real talent and was scamming people with poems someone else had composed for him. However, she chooses not to press “post” because she doesn’t want to expose the man his father worshipped and admired with all his heart. Or maybe Sarah didn’t post it, fearing it would reveal to her family and friends that she had lied and gone to a desert party.
Sarah, in Meshal Al Jaser’s Naga, was an average woman trapped in a conservative Muslim family. The film beautifully explains Sarah’s longing to break free from the societal limitations put on her by her upbringing. Born and raised in a highly conservative environment with strict rules regarding her appearance, clothing, and activities, Sarah rebelled against these restrictions, explaining her want for freedom and independence. Sarah’s decisions throughout the film are the product of the same desires. Her decision to go to the desert camp, despite the risks involved, explained her decision to take a chance to enjoy something that her parents would never allow her to do.
Final Verdict
Meshal Al Jaser’s Naga is entertaining despite its shortcomings in plot and execution. The story is about a girl named Sarah, who lands herself in a series of problems while desperately trying to make it home before her curfew. However, the film dabbles too much in trivial elements rather than focusing on things that could’ve made an impression. If it had explored Sarah’s character in depth, the film would surely be much better. Sarah’s character lacks substance, and all we see of her is constantly running from one place to another, trying to get home.
