Let's talk about Apple TV's "Hala", a thread.

This thread will have spoilers, but since the film was written off by many without them having seen it, the spoilers are necessary for clarification.

First of all, there is something to be said for only certain types of media being picked up and hyped in Western media. I call them oppression narratives, where marginalized groups feel intense marginalization from WITHIN their cultures and find "freedom" in Western ideals.

Yes, these narratives are the most prevalent. Yes, that's an issue because it ultimately reduces our cultures and faiths to something that is stifling and oppressive, while Western ideals are inherently freeing.

That is an important conversation.

But that is not the conversation to be had, nor is it a responsibility we should be placing upon the shoulders of young Muslim women telling deeply personal stories, as in the case of "Hala."

Minhal Baig is a Muslim Pakistani-American young woman writing, producing AND directing a personal story about a Muslim Pakistani-American young woman. It's a deeply nuanced story about a young teen's struggle with identity.

The gag is that after all the outrage, I was quite shocked to find out that... HER FAITH WAS NEVER THE STRUGGLE. The movie starts with Hala praying on a prayer mat, and it ends with her praying on a prayer met.

The struggle was with her family.

Her family is a conservative Muslim household, at first glance. She has a good relationship with her father, a fraught relationship with her mother, and one thing is made very clear: no boys, esp not non-Muslims. But she likes a boy, who isn't Muslim, so where do we go from here?

But as the layers are peeled back, her father is exposed as a hypocrite. Hala realizes she misunderstood and underestimated her mom who despite her traditionalist views, has ALWAYS loved her.

And it ends with a beautiful reconciliation between the two.

Now let's talk about the white boy, the one everyone had the issue with.

Yes, they kiss. Yes, they have sex. And Hala doesn't like it. And they don't even end up together.

Hala breaks it off with him immediately afterwards. She doesn't take off her hijab for the white boy. They don't end up together. They don't even speak properly after having sex, because Hala did something she was curious about (like many teen girls are, surprise!!!) & hated it.

"Hala" was completely misinterpreted due to the trailer. It was completely written off and deemed "bad Muslim representation."

But what you're saying to Minhal Baig, as the ONLY Muslim Pakistani feature filmmaker in the West, is that her narrative isn't wanted.

You're saying that her deeply layered, complicated story about family and finding yourself isn't important because it doesn't suit YOUR sensitivities.

Art is meant to explore issues. I can tell you as a Pakistani that familial & households issues like these EXIST.

And you want people to not explore them because you want a sanitized, clean image of your culture to be put on media. That's not how it works. I'd understand if a white person made this movie, but it was someone from OUR OWN COMMUNITY exploring HER OWN COMMUNITY.

Our filmmakers and storytellers SHOULD HAVE THE SPACE TO DO THAT, and we should SUPPORT them so we can get other narratives in the future. They've never been given the space before, and now that they HAVE, all you do is bash and criticize and misinterpret.

"Hala" was not what you all made it out to be. People will not watch it because of what you all made it out to be, and another movie by a Muslim Pakistani woman will not do well because of what you all made it out to be.

That's your issue. Not Minhal Baig's. And not the film's.

Also, leaving this here: https://www.la-screenwriter.com/2019/12/05/the-heroines-journey-a-talk-with-minhal-baig-writer-director-of-apple-tvs-hala/