Amra and the Second Marriage

In the shadow of an increasingly brutal and suppressive regime, a quiet revolution is unfolding in the Saudi-Arabian film industry. After a 40-years long ban on cinema, film production and -screenings are allowed again in the largest country in the gulf region. This has resulted in films like Amra and the Second Marriage – a comedy on polygamy, with a feminist bite. The film is not anti-regime in the political sense but uses humour and satire to criticize the extreme patriarchy and general oppression of women in Saudi-Arabia. We follow Amra, who is in her mid-forties and married to Hilal, who treats her more like a housemaid than a soul mate. When Amra discover that Hilal plans to take a second, and much younger wife, she tilts. She uses all possible methods to stop the wedding and even starts to consider leaving Hilal entirely. The film has been described as “The Handmaid`s Tale rebooted as a comedy by the Coen brothers” and gives a unique insight into a closed society.

Mahmoud Sabbagh is a Saudi-Arabian director, and a pioneer in independent Saudi-Arabian film. His debut film, Barakah Meets Barakah, premiered at the prestigious Berlin Film Festival, and was screened in festivals worldwide. Amra and the Second Marriage is his second film.