Ultimately the movie is tragic because the characters can’t form and maintain healthy, happyrelationships. They’re doomed to sadness and loneliness because of all the barriers and it’s alittle sad to watch it all unfold. Good movies draw emotions out of you that and The Barrier doesthat wonderfully. Your heart will break because you’ll see that happiness is within the grasp ofeveryone in the movie. They just have to reach out for it and they’ll find it. Most of them areunwilling or unable to do so though and it’s beautiful in a sad sort of way.

The women all face money problems of varying kinds so they decide to start a car wash. It’s ajarring thing for those around them and they receive criticism from all angles. They perseverewith their desires though and eventually they have a successful business running and they feelgood about themselves. Four Girls is about women’s rights and the issues they face in Bahrain. Itfeatures excellent storytelling and talented performers putting on a great show for you. Everyonedemonstrates great dedication to the craft.

Visitor is a thriller with heavy mystery and mystical elements. Much of the movie takes place at the A’ali burial mounds, which has a connection to Fatima’s vision. Most of the film unfolds at the mounds. The teenagers, Khalid and Amin, show up and Khalid’s older brother Ahmed is there too trying desperately to save them both. The movie is really quite thrilling and shows the deft touch of its director, Bassam Al-Thawadi. The man has great talent for characters and place and he genuinely creates something real and fairly magical for your viewing pleasure. It can get a little bit scary but only in a psychological kind of way.

It’s a complicated film and it’s exceptionally well done, particularly in how they choose to tell the story. Director Bassam Al-Thawadi deftly weaves together the tale of the family with the struggles of the Arab leader. We see parallels between Fatima and Jamal and we sympathize with them as they do everything they can to make their personal dreams come true. The acting is exceptional with strong performances from all involved. The script is tightly-written and balances the two storylines smartly. In some ways it’s a tragedy because the war didn’t end well for the Arabs but that only makes it more emotionally satisfying.

Gilgamesh Pearl trailer

The movie, directed by Hamad Abulla and Sara Radhi follows the friends on their harrowing journey and as the mystery unfolds it gets bigger and bigger with many moving parts. The friends find a list of names that includes Gilgamesh Pearl’s and they realize that it’s a hit list and there are many more important folks on that list that will die of they don’t find a way to stop the killers. There’s a deep secret that they’re going to uncover and that’s what drives this thrilling piece of cinema from Bahrain.