NAGA

2023

1 hr. 51 min.

Mystery & Thriller

List

55%

11 Reviews

Tomatometer

57%

50+ Ratings

Audience Score

Stranded in the desert after a secret party, a young woman must get past a vindictive camel -- and worse -- to make it home before curfew.

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Netflix

Watch NAGA with a subscription on Netflix.

Ender T

The scenes and tension related to the camel in the movie are of a quality I have not seen in a long time.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/25/23

Full Review

Leloch A

No real story or dialog. Hated it. The directing and effects was o.k

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

12/18/23

Full Review

Farah R

Aljaser's inventive filmmaking style is appreciated but doesn't compensate for the lack of a coherent story. Naga ventures into many cinematic territories, from the strong rebellious female lead trope to the Jaws-type creature feature. Unfortunately, it doesn't all blend smoothly, resulting in an overly long albeit ambitious movie.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

12/16/23

Full Review

ÙAbdullah A

no story at all just some camera tricks

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

12/11/23

Full Review

Ø®Ø§ÙØ¯ Ø

I couldn't finish the movie Truly awful and boring, shots are long but the cuts are fast. Feels like an eternity.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

12/10/23

Full Review

Abdullah Yahya A

This movie is a peculiar take on the 'one long, challenging day/evening' narrative, where the protagonist races against time to reach her destination or face dire consequences. Sarah, our protagonist, embodies the traits of the Naga (female camel): strong, proud, yet also spiteful and vengeful, unwilling to forgive any offense. Newcomer Adwa Bader shines in portraying Sarah, skillfully bringing out her multifaceted personality. Bader fearlessly embodies an unlikeable and flawed character with a bad temperament, unafraid to attack or lash out, making it challenging to sympathize with Sarah. However, I found myself remarkably invested in her well-being, largely due to Bader's bold performance. The film boasts commendable cinematography and production values, showcasing assured direction. However, director Meshal Al Jaser's debut feature tends to throw on screen everything under the kitchen sink, making it feel slightly indulgent and overstuffed. Yet, these cinematic flares find some justification as they reflect the protagonist's state of hallucination, panic, and disorientation, cleverly maintained by the director's camera and editing tricks. Despite these strengths, I hold a grudge against the film for its promise of a story about a vengeful, demented camel chasing our heroine. While the movie offers glimpses of this aspect, it falls short of delivering as much as expected. The mismatch between the advertised premise and the actual depiction left me slightly disappointed and annoyed. Nonetheless, the film still centers around a spiteful camel, so yes it's misleading, but the title Naga is still apt. It's a good movie that reflects a paradigm shift in Saudi cinema, and I am here for it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/10/23

Full Review

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Meshal Aljaser

Director

Adwa Bader

Sarah

Yazeed Almajyul

Actor

Khalid Bin Shaddad

Father

Amal Alharbi

Mother

Meshal Aljaser

Screenwriter

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Dennis Harvey

Variety

The flamboyant but hollow results feel like too conscious a calling card for a talent that next time out should embrace some restraint, not to mention substance.

Dec 7, 2023

Full Review

Nicolas Rapold

Financial Times

Her [Sarah's] liberating rebellious streak can only get her so far, and her journey is both eye-opening and exhausting (and perhaps ripe for a little editing-room trimming).

Rated: 2/5

Sep 15, 2023

Full Review

Panos Kotzathanasis

Asian Movie Pulse

Meshal Aljaser needs to work a bit in his writing and directorial choices, but “Naga” still manages to highlight the progress of Saudi cinema, and considering this is a debut, the filmmaker's future definitely looks bright.

Rated: 5.5

Jan 7, 2024

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

An incoherent thriller.

Rated: C

Dec 15, 2023

Full Review

Roger Moore

Movie Nation

A bracing, trippy thriller that lets technique overwhelm a simple story...like no Saudi film we’ve ever seen before.

Rated: 2/4

Dec 13, 2023

Full Review

Amanda Guarragi

Ready Steady Cut

The film has some great moments and at times there is some dark humor, but this sadly falls under style over substance.

Rated: 2.5/5

Dec 8, 2023

Full Review

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Synopsis

Stranded in the desert after a secret party, a young woman must get past a vindictive camel -- and worse -- to make it home before curfew.

Director: Meshal Aljaser
Executive Producer: Ali Kalthami, Alaa Yousef Faden
Screenwriter: Meshal Aljaser
Distributor: Netflix
Production Co: Telfaz11, Movitaz Entertainment
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Arabic
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 7, 2023

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