Saudi filmmaker Meshal Aljaser's psychedelic thriller 'Naga' takes viewers on a wild ridehttps://en.majalla.com/node/306621/culture-social-affairs/saudi-filmmaker-meshal-aljasers-psychedelic-thriller-naga-takes
Meshal Aljaser has been lauded as a promising Saudi director thanks to his unique vision, beginning with the short videos he crafted over the past decade and culminating in a mind-bending debut feature film.
A master puppeteer, he expertly manipulates all tools at his disposal to create a visual vortex, aided by generous performances from his actors. His ground-breaking work has inspired several other Saudi directors, even those who came before him.
Meshal Aljaser.
While some see his creativity as an explosion of imagination, others consider it a play between movement and provocative stillness.
Aljaser's debut feature film, Naga, opens with a flashback as intriguing as it is disturbing. The camera spirals forward dizzyingly. A sense of simmering anger and panic becomes palpable.
In the halls of a mid-1970s hospital maternity ward, a man armed with an automatic rifle marches towards a delivery room to kill a mother and her doctor – a horrifying act of violence in a supposedly safe space.
Aljaser's debut feature film Naga opens with a flashback as intriguing as it is disturbing. In the halls of a mid-1970s hospital maternity ward, a man armed with an automatic rifle marches towards a delivery room to kill a mother and her doctor – a horrifying act of violence in a supposedly safe space.
Aljaser then brings us back to the present day, simultaneously promising and foreboding a journey steeped in psychedelic art and hallucinations.
Bizarre and compelling
Naga (Arabic for camel), a Netflix production that also screened at the Red Sea Film Festival, is a testament to Aljaser's growth as a filmmaker.
The movie follows Sarah (Adwaa Bader) as she embarks on a day-long adventure, trailing her every step from start to finish.
Sarah is preparing to leave the house, where she lives under the harsh patriarchal authority (depicted with caricatural brutality), to head to the Owais Markets in Riyadh. She's bound by a strict 10 pm curfew.
While there, Sarah secretly sneaks out to meet her friend Saad (Yazeed Almajyul) in his 1980s Caprice, which blends seamlessly with the old-fashioned setting, as does his character's appearance and accent.
A still from 'Naga'.
Despite their apparent differences, their chemistry is palpable from the very first scene. There's a mix of mild anger, intense moods, and spontaneous dialogue, heightened by the contrast between their voice and look.
Before making their way to a rave at a desert camp that Saad insists is close by, they take a psychedelic drug that plunges them into a journey of elevated sensations, where each sight and sound reverberates in every fibre of their being.
Spiral of events
The trip quickly spirals into a cycle of panic, accentuated by the hallucinogenic style of the movie. After a car chase drives them off the edge of the road, Sarah and Saad's encounters become increasingly bizarre and discomforting.
From the comedic assault of an ice cream vendor by a band of youth, to a horrifying camel attack, the hallucinations increase in madness, culminating in a police ambush reminiscent of a battle scene worthy of Troy.
Between the unsettling delusions, the countdown to the curfew, and the search for a rare Samsung phone charger, Sarah and Saad must also escape from a vengeful camel. This anxiety-inducing combo of events becomes a rhythmic series of successive nightmares.
Between the unsettling delusions, the countdown to the curfew, and the search for a rare Samsung phone charger, Sarah and Saad must also escape from a vengeful camel. This anxiety-inducing combo of events becomes a rhythmic series of successive nightmares.
A countdown timer shows on the screen throughout their journey. While this may be seen as a disruption to the film's flow, it stands as a testament to Aljaser's masterful embodiment of chaos and its psychological impact.
As the spectre of zero-hour looms on the horizon, Sarah loses herself in an unrelenting quest between desert dunes.
Aljaser skillfully employs technical elements, such as sound effects, to bring out the thriller streak that runs through the film.
A rush of terror surrounds the narrative as Sarah rebelliously insists on pushing limits at every turn. Meanwhile, viewers find themselves engrossed in the dread she experiences. Her gasping breaths, surrounding echoes, and sharp crackles of intermittent lights all come together to create an immersive, suspenseful adventure.
Yet what truly accentuates Bader's performance is the handheld camera, which follows her every movement, swaying, dancing and racing alongside her amidst utter pandemonium. These shaky shots plunge the audience into the action, keeping them as uneasy as the protagonist herself.
Background mastery
What sets Naga apart from Aljaser's previous short films – and other recent Saudi productions – is its masterful use of depth of field. On several occasions, Aljaser draws on background images to amplify the viewer's confusion over how the scene will unfold. A wide array of possibilities is present, overwhelming the senses.
In one example, Aljaser utilises a still background. The scene overlooks farms west of Riyadh, expansively elongating to the rhythm of a mysterious echo, stretching the horizon to its farthest limits.
But Aljaser also plays with backgrounds in motion. At the rave, the crowds are constantly moving in the backdrop, adding an unpredictable human dimension that cinematographer Ibraheem Alshangeeti exploits.
'Naga' movie poster. The Saudi film previously showed at Toronto International Film Festival.
This delicate balance between suspense and psychedelia – coupled with the meticulous use of cinematic tools (and an editing style that's fuelled by chaos) – is further enhanced by Bader's compelling performance.
Bader pushes at the bounds of the storyline, taking it beyond a mere attempt to escape a random threat. Instead, she ignites her dormant rebellious spirit to break free from her circumstances.
While the movie's unusual style is certain to rub some viewers the wrong way, Naga remains an exceptional psychological horror-thriller that embodies a certain cinematic maturity, making it, quite possibly, the best Saudi film of 2023.
