Netflix released its second original Arabic-language series “AlRawabi School for Girls” on 12 August, creating controversy among the Arab audience.
“AlRawabi School for Girls” is a teen drama show that centers upon a small group of outcast teenagers who choose to join hands to exact revenge on their tormentors. It lies along the same lines as the critically acclaimed ‘Derry Girls,’ an international women-created and women-centric young adult series set in a prestigious all-girls school, and reimagines the popular notion behind productions like ‘Mean Girls’ and ‘Get Even.’
The show has received mixed reviews, with some saying that they related to the main characters, while others claiming that the series does not reflect the Jordanian community properly.
The story focuses on Mariam, a girl who has been bullied at her school. Being in an all-girls school, she agrees with other socially discouraged girls and to take revenge on those that wronged her, putting the students and school in big problems. But finally she realises that reality is not always black and white. Sometimes, it is different shades of grey. And not everyone is as bad or as good as she might have thought, including herself.
The show was filmed in Amman, Jordan. It was released in 190 countries around the world and is available in over 32 languages with audio and written descriptions for disabled individuals.
Netflix’s second original Arabic-language drama series brings the tales of contemporary Arabic girls to life in one of the most authentic ways possible by offering an ever-changing view of the events through the eyes of several characters.
Yet, more importantly, it covers subjects like alienation, friendship, and bullying to showcase that everyone is inherently both good and bad.
Created by Tina Shomali and Shirin Kamal, with the former also serving as the director, ‘AlRawabi School for Girls’ stars young Arab actors like Andria Tayeh, Noor Taher, Joanna Arida, Salsabiela and Yara Mustaf, alongside the experienced Rakeen Saad. Together, these skilled Arab natives deliver a series set entirely in their world to represent millions like them.