Haya grew up in the shadow of a curse’s promise that she would die at 30. After a series of failed attempts to end her life—an effort to take her fate into her own hands—she crosses paths with a brilliant but emotionally withdrawn surgeon. Youssef, who suffers from an abnormally slow heartbeat and only truly feels alive when he’s operating and holding a scalpel, might be just who Haya has been looking for. Her request that Youssef kill her kicks off a flowering relationship, and a surprisingly uplifting exploration of the existential struggles that plague so many on the precipice of entering their thirties.
A Matter of Life and Death
This film is part of the Contemporary Arab Cinema series.
Contemporary Arab Cinema is co-presented with the Brooklyn Academy of Music and:

This series is made possible through the support of:

A Matter of Life and Death
Pre-recorded introduction with filmmaker Anas Ba-Tahaf
2025. 115 m. Anas Ba-Tahaf. Front Row. Saudi Arabia/United Arab Emirates/Egypt. Arabic with subtitles. Rated NR.
Tickets: $11 (members), $16 (nonmembers)
“[O]ne of the quirkiest local romantic comedies to come out of Saudi Arabia since the lifting of its 35-year cinema ban in 2017.”
This film is part of the following initiatives:
This film is part of the Contemporary Arab Cinema series.
Contemporary Arab Cinema is co-presented with the Brooklyn Academy of Music and:

This series is made possible through the support of:

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