Night Courier: A dark character study about class divide and hustle culture

Running late for an important meeting, he's berated by his manager (portrayed excellently by Al-Qar'awi). Leaving his delivery bag in the car, he rushes out into the chaos around him – and we quickly realise Fahad has been dealing with chaos his whole life. Frantic for a quiet corner to escape, Fahad's desperation ratchets up the viewer's sense of anxiety.

Some might see him as a ticking time bomb. But that wrongly assumes he'll only explode once. The truth is, he's more of a minefield.

He's a victim, of sorts, of a modern, developing city. He's trapped in a dead-end job, while everyone around him climbs the corporate ladder. He longs for a bright future, but everyone seems to have beaten him to it, and no one has kept him a seat.

Even the golden opportunity that his family had to elevate their social standing – with his father being a university professor – didn't work out. His dad is sick, and the medical bills are more than he can afford.

Looking for a new job and continuing to deliver orders, he receives a call from his former colleague, Maha, who's living the high life. Her biggest "problem" is trying to book an appointment for a driving license test.

It's a stark contrast to Fahad, who's struggling just to keep his head above water.

Lifestyle differences

It feels like Fahad's entire world is at a standstill.

He finds himself friendless, incapable of expanding his social circle. Despite society becoming more open and accepting of friendships between opposite genders, Fahad's life remains completely devoid of such bonds.

In a way, it has warped his sense of reality. He takes any hint of interest he hears in Maha's voice as a sign of love, and who can blame him? He's barely had time to keep up with societal norms.

The lifestyle disparities between Fahad and his peers are staggering, too.

When he comes across a high-end restaurant while making deliveries, he works up the courage to invite Maha. But he soon finds out that the "fancy" restaurant is nothing special to Maha; she dines there nearly every night.

One day, she invites him there with her two colleagues, one of whom seems to have a closer relationship with her than he does.

The shock here is twofold: emotional on one side, and psychological on the other. Fahad must reckon with how other people live. They're wealthy, they drive expensive cars, they dress impeccably, and they speak another language.

Although their jobs consume their lives (and all their conversations), they're content – sometimes even proud. It's not unusual for them to boast about their luxurious realities and condescend towards anyone "beneath" them.

The scene clearly shines a light on the ugly side of "hustle culture" that has spread like wildfire in recent years. This workaholic lifestyle turns a person into a mere cog in the machine, with no other interests or activities. Their identity becomes synonymous with their job, showing us the dark side of the coin.

Lighting robs Riyadh of its identity

The (literal) darkness used to portray the film encompasses not only Fahad's scenes but also those of his peers who belong to the same social class.

The few instances of bright daylight appear during Friday prayers when Fahad is with his father and cousin, and again during his visit to the Sheikh's office when he applies for a medical trip.

The director utilises a stark visual contrast to depict different social classes in Riyadh, between the fortunate ones engrossed in their high-paying careers and the less fortunate individuals who are oblivious to the opulent lifestyle of the wealthy, looking in from the outside.

More than once, the film depicts Fahad's car driving away into the dilapidated old neighbourhoods of Riyadh, with towering skyscrapers on the distant horizon.

However, it's debatable how successful the film's lighting choices are. Flooding the screen with darkness swallows up Riyadh's identity, taking away its power as a character in this story.

Apart from a few scenes in which Riyadh's skyscrapers appear, though they are difficult to distinguish from a distance at night, there is nothing that connects the viewer to the city.

Instead, the movie's shooting locations appear to be in a futuristic city devoid of soul. We do not feel the vastness of Riyadh or its ongoing expansion, but rather a kind of emptiness, which fails to reflect reflect the crowded nature of Riyadh.

Ultimately, the creative choice to use darkness to depict the protagonist's plight comes at the unfortunate expense of the city's identity.

A delayed climax

The film also suffered pacing issues in its second half, when it pushed Fahad into selling alcohol as an extreme solution to his issues.

The filmmakers tried to introduce enough events that would justify his internal "explosion" and abandonment of his religious and moral values. But the result was drawn out. By then, Fahad had already exploded several times, and delaying this "climax" only slowed down the narrative.

The plot became somewhat clunky and unconvincing when Fahad decided to break into a secret liquor store, which hurtled us towards the film's resolution.

As a result, Night Courier shifted from a bold and dramatic character study to a slow-paced chase between liquor merchants and Fahad, with many scenes of surveillance and tracking that failed to add much-needed depth to the story.

Perhaps this "alcohol trade" plot would have benefited from more three-dimensional supporting characters, or even just truly villainous ones, which would have sparked momentum and introduced high-stakes conflicts.

Instead, we witnessed a gradual slowdown of the narrative and an absence of new and gripping storylines.

Convincing performances

Director Al-Kalthami is known for his clear style when working on 'Telfaz11' productions, as is actor Al-Dokhei (Fahad), who stole the spotlight in most episodes of 'Khambalah' and 'Al-Khalat'.

Going into Night Courier, I worried their comedic backgrounds might be detrimental if forced into such a sincere story.

Fortunately, Al-Kalthami offered a serious and mature take on society's pitfalls and the exhausting class divisions we face, accompanied by a full awareness of the material obsession that is growing faster than the city of Riyadh itself.

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Credit is also due to those responsible for casting; Al-Qar'awi and Abu Salu delivered stand-out performances.

Al-Qar'awi has a knack for increasing tension in a scene and also possesses the power to dial back these nerve-wracking undertones. He's in complete control of the screen.

As for Abu Salu, who was one of the surprises at the Saudi Film Festival after starring in the short film The Old School (Al Madrasa Al Qadeema), he appears here in a gentle, endearing role that makes viewers feel that Fahad isn't facing the world alone.

Al-Dokhei, of course, delivers a heroic performance of a lead character replete with flaws. The entire film hinges on his fantastic portrayal of Fahad. Had he failed, viewers wouldn't have become as emotionally invested in the outcome of his story.

Fahad is compelling and full of contradictions. He takes pride in his father's academic title, 'the Doctor,' yet he doesn't mind wallowing in society's most corrupt pits to earn a living. He goes to the mosque in the dark of the night immediately after stealing a shipment of alcohol so that he can sell it. After that, he buys household items for one of his elderly relatives, promising to keep visiting.

Ultimately, Fahad checks his moral compass only when it suits him. But he's comfortable looking away from it when he needs to plunge back into the darkness to survive.

Night Courier is set for a cinematic release in December of 2023.