Introduction
City life is an Emirati film written and directed by Ali Mostafa (Mostafa, 2009). The film focuses on diverse nationalities living in Dubai. In the film, a wealthy young Emirati male, underprivileged Indian taxi driver, and a European couple play major roles in the film’s scenes to illustrate the real-life situations faced by the people of Dubai. Throughout the film, several cultural intersections existing in Dubai are highlighted to emphasize the effects of cultural fusion in the lives of the city dwellers. This article focuses on how the film portrays the diverse nationalities of Dubai and illustrates how the common stereotypes about the people of Dubai have been challenged and confirmed by the film.
Analysis
After watching the film, I realized that the whole film was shot and directed in Dubai. In the media, films, journals, and magazines, Dubai is portrayed as a flashy city resided by affluent individuals with luxurious hotels, shopping malls, and tourist destinations. Even though these features have been captured in the film, a different perspective of the city has been illustrated in the film to portray the city’s diverse cultures and lifestyles.
In the film, I noted that the film’s director had engaged three actors to illustrate the true facets of Dubai’s culture. Through Sonu Sood’s character, the film’s director illustrates that most of the migrant workers, with no skills, live in destitute conditions. In contrast to common belief, the film portrays how migrant workers have to struggle against all odds to survive in a foreign city.
Through the character of the young Emirati male, the film portrays the lifestyles and cultures of the natives. As compared to the migrant workers, most of the natives live in better lifestyle conditions. The native male actor has to make tough decisions. He has to decide whether he should stick to their culture or adopt a foreign culture. Through this, the film’s director illustrates the effects of cultural intersections on the Emiratis.
Equally, the film’s story focuses on a European couple. The British woman has dreams of marrying a wealthy native male. On the other hand, the British man is portrayed as a promiscuous individual. Through these scenes, I noted that the film illustrates that Dubai consists of all classes of citizens. In the film, several languages such as English, Arabic, and Hindi have been employed. By doing so, the film’s director emphasizes the city’s diversity allowing all the city’s inhabitants to associate with the film.
In the film, some of the stereotypes held against the people of Dubai have been confirmed. Outside the UAE, Emiratis living in Dubai are believed to be wealthy. Similarly, Dubai’s Arabs are believed to have abandoned their cultures and adopted western cultures. The young Emirati male who drives flashy European cars confirmed this stereotype. Similarly, western men residing in Dubai are believed to be wealthy and promiscuous (Reiser, 2011).
The British male actor in the film has confirmed the stereotype. The film portrays him as an immoral individual who spends his money on women. Similarly, the stereotype that European women are after exploiting the wealthy Emirati males in the city has been confirmed. The European woman in the film who hopes to marry a young wealthy Emirati male someday confirmed the stereotype. Equally, migrants residing in Dubai are considered as the lower class citizens. The film affirms this stereotype through the hardworking Indian taxi driver who hopes that one day he will be a movie star.
As compared to the previous Arab films, the film the City of Life signifies a major breakthrough in Arab film industries. The movie attracted several viewers not only in the Gulf region but also all over the world. In spite of its popularity, I still believe that the movie’s director should have done more if he could have portrayed Dubai’s inhabitants in a positive way, rather than confirming several stereotypes held against them.
According to the film’s director, the film captures the true picture of Dubai residents. Alternatively, critics assert that the film is not fit to be classified as a good piece of art because it enhances stereotypes against Dubai residents. This implies that good arts are not easy to be produced and that the definition of good art varies from one individual to another. However, in my opinion, I do believe that good art should be challenging and should enhance critical thinking among the audiences.
Conclusion
Since several stereotypes have been confirmed in the film, viewers should consider these stereotypes as humor rather than facts. According to social researchers, cultural stereotypes can be harmful when taken seriously. Based on the film, Dubai residents have been classified into three categories. Each group’s stereotypes have been highlighted in the movie. For instance, the film depicts the immigrant workers as inferior communities in Dubai.
On the other hand, the natives and the westerners are depicted as superior communities. From the above illustrations, I noted that there are higher risks of enhancing stereotypes through popular movies since they have numerous audiences. In this respect, film directors should focus more on producing films that challenge cultural stereotypes and encourage cultural intersections, rather than on films that confirm cultural stereotypes.
References
Mostafa, A. (Director). (2009). City of Life [Motion picture]. United Arab Emirates: Captcha.
Reiser, D. (2011). Analysis of Cultural Differences in Dubai. Dubai: Gulf Press.