Saudi Runaway
Directed by:
2020
Using her smartphone camera, a young woman invites us into her world and her life behind closed doors, a veil and the façade of a respectable family. Muna’s life is determined by her father and a much-mentioned future husband. Realising that her passport is about to expire and that neither of these men will agree to an extension, she plots her escape from Saudi Arabia.
Moments of pure joie de vivre – such as Muna’s unbounded excitement at the spectacle of a rare cloudburst – are in stark contrast to her oppressive situation. Disregarding the risks involved, she secretly records the ups and downs of her everyday life: the murky view of the world she sees through her veil; the uninhibitedness of women among themselves; the creeping dread of the inexorably approaching forced wedding; as well as moments of communality during Muslim holidays. (Festival infromation, Berlinale 2020)
