Alkhallat+

Fahad Alammari's 2022 Saudi film is made of four separate stories about deception. Two men who slip into a wedding to steal tyres, a man trying to destroy a secret on a dead friend's phone, a couple building lie upon lie to save a marriage, and a fraud that surfaces where it is least expected. The stories are not connected; what they share is that everyone is hiding something. The film belongs to the new period of Saudi cinema and uses comedy to address matters not spoken about openly in that society: secret relationships, social pressure and anxiety about appearances. The humour is black and the tone hardens in the later sections. It reached a wide audience and a sequel followed. Who it's for: viewers who like Arab comedy and portmanteau storytelling. Who it's not for: anyone bothered by unevenness between sections; the stories are not of equal strength.