This movie is a peculiar take on the 'one long, challenging day/evening' narrative, where the protagonist races against time to reach her destination or face dire consequences. Sarah, our protagonist, embodies the traits of the Naga (female camel): strong, proud, yet also spiteful and vengeful, unwilling to forgive any offense. Newcomer Adwa Bader shines in portraying Sarah, skillfully bringing out her multifaceted personality. Bader fearlessly embodies an unlikeable and flawed character with a bad temperament, unafraid to attack or lash out, making it challenging to sympathize with Sarah. However, I found myself remarkably invested in her well-being, largely due to Bader's bold performance.
The film boasts commendable cinematography and production values, showcasing assured direction. However, director Meshal Al Jaser's debut feature tends to throw on screen everything under the kitchen sink, making it feel slightly indulgent and overstuffed. Yet, these cinematic flares find some justification as they reflect the protagonist's state of hallucination, panic, and disorientation, cleverly maintained by the director's camera and editing tricks.
Despite these strengths, I hold a grudge against the film for its promise of a story about a vengeful, demented camel chasing our heroine. While the movie offers glimpses of this aspect, it falls short of delivering as much as expected. The mismatch between the advertised premise and the actual depiction left me slightly disappointed and annoyed. Nonetheless, the film still centers around a spiteful camel, so yes it's misleading, but the title Naga is still apt. It's a good movie that reflects a paradigm shift in Saudi cinema, and I am here for it.