Saturday, January 17, 2009

Locally...

So I am not the only one who calls an abaya a garbage bag. A Saudi filmmaker is "having a hard time finding a leading woman for his short film, 'Garbage Bag.'" That "Saudi Arabia does not allow unrelated men and women to mingle" is part of the problem. Perhaps he can find a pretty boy to fill that role. The film is "about a woman stuck in a public restroom because her abaya... has been stolen. After an agonizing night in the restroom, she fashions an abaya out of a black garbage bag and walks out." Sure, the plot is slightly farfetched, but stranger things have happened. And, quite frankly, there is not a lot of difference in the look of an abaya and a garbage bag. Both are big, black and shapeless.

Road carnage. Eight killed. The cause, according to the article, was a tire blow out. Never any mention of the rate of speed at which these cars are traveling.

Whoa. Right after typing, "Never any mention of the rate of speed..." I read this, "A 10-year-old boy died after being run over by a car carrying celebrating Saudi soccer fans... He was trying to cross the road when a speeding Caprice car hit him." First mention - ever - of a "speeding car."

Three years in prison and 720 lashes for stealing cell phones seems a tad excessive, but it does make it quite clear that authorities are willing to set examples with harsh penalties to deter crime. I am not against this. I've said it before and I'll say it again: The United States needs to take lessons from other countries with regard to criminal justice matters and quit catering to the criminals and giving them all the rights. Oh. The two thieves, both Saudi nationals are, of course, unnamed.

The head count is at six. A Saudi man convicted of murder was beheaded yesterday.

8 comments:

  1. Wow! I like the idea behind Garbage Bag...Im surprised he is finding it so hard to get a woman to act the part since many of them are openly referring to the abaya as a garbage bag and hate the shackle that it has become anyway. I would willingly and happily play the part for free just to get the message across...unfortunately, my red hair, blue eyes, and non Arab blood wouldnt give much credibility to it...even though all women who suffer under the Arab mentality that culture equals Islam suffer equally.

    ReplyDelete
  2. He could find a woman - if it was acceptable for men and women [unrelated] to mingle long enough to film... I considered for only a fleeting nanosecond to volunteer to play the part, as well, Coolred. But the blonde hair probably wouldn't be too convincing for the end product. "All women who suffer..." Well said.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am still trying to absorb the news of the women who played with mice for ten years. If that is acceptable to maintain family honor then they will never (Ever) get out of the trash bags.

    ReplyDelete
  4. can't shake the thought of why she didn't get out without her abaya? Unless she wasn't wearing something under ? (spend the night in the toilet!)Was the cellphone stolen too with the abaya? lol

    ReplyDelete
  5. You have just made me laugh, Vermindust!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Good points, White Orchid - that she had to have had clothes on underneath - or one would think, and where was her cell phone... NO ONE in The Sandbox goes ANYWHERE without their mobile!!! But, then, if is a movie, after all, and I think the point that is trying to be made is a worthy one.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The Arab/Muslim world...the only place that has "prisons" with unlocked doors. How easy was it for her to just open the door and walk out...and yet...culture had her imprisoned as surely as if the door was locked...find me any man in Saudi that would have hesitated to open that bathroom door if his thobe had been stolen (for whatever reason...just saying).

    Interesting that its been "banned" before it even sees the light of day...not to mention if a non Muslim/Arab had made this film...I dare say...someone would probably die over it...film maker comes to mind...hmmm.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Excellent points, Coolred. Although I am still questioning if the "mobile" was in the pocket of the abaya, because we all know that no self-respecting woman is going to be caught anywhere without one. The film maker - if he ever gets to shoot the film - needs to take that most important detail into consideration.

    ReplyDelete

 
Site Meter