If you haven't watched the Syrian Lebanese series "The Writer" yet, you better start catching what you missed earlier on Netflix.
{"preview_thumbnail":"https://cdn.flowplayer.com/6684a05f-6468-4ecd-87d5-a748773282a3/i/v-i-f…","video_id":"fe71fcd2-df94-4d21-9daa-e1592412fa2d","player_id":"8ca46225-42a2-4245-9c20-7850ae937431","provider":"flowplayer","video":"Top 5 Times Arab Stars Slapped Down on Fans"}
If you are an Agatha Christie fan or if movies such as 'Gone Girl' and 'Murder on the Orient Express' in recent years caught your attention then the series is certainly for you. It is not a coincidence that Netflix chose to screen the series first during last Ramadan season and if you are losing hope on Arabic productions, the series could make you think twice.
'The Writer' follows investigation in the murder of a young university student called Tamara with the first suspect being a famous fiction writer called Younes Jibran portrayed by Syrian actor Basel Khayat, who tries to prove his innocence with the help of lawyer Majdouline portrayed by Daniella Rahme.
There is no doubt that the pace of the series may be slow for the commercial consumer, especially in the middle episodes, but if you continue watching carefully you would find that every second in the series is carefully considered by the director Rami Hanna and each line screenwriter Rim Hanna wrote could have another meaning.
The series looks like a project of the lifetime for the director and his opportunity to show all he has, showcase ability and boast his definite intelligence.
The series looks like a project of the lifetime for the director and his opportunity to show all he has, showcase ability and boast his definite intelligence. It would not be surprising if he takes a break from work temporarily after this 'heavy' series that would have not have seen the light in such a form if the police, mystery and investigation stories of popular culture had no inspired the director.
When it comes to the cast, Basel Khayyat excelled in the narcissistic personality representation and if asked which is the character he loved portraying the most in his career, he would most probably choose Younis Gibran.
Although Daniella Rahme is fairly new in the field and despite the very few Arabic language deficiency incidents, management of her natural talent was excellent and she is definitely out of the 'just a pretty face' circle as she proves in her portrayal of 'Majdouline' the lawyer that acting for her is not a hobby and that she is determined to turn her talent into a craft.
management of Daniella Rahme's natural talent was excellent and she is definitely out of the 'just a pretty face' circle in her portrayal of 'Majdouline'
The plot is close to genius and until the last moment of the series, the events could still manage to surprise you and you could need hours after the episode to understand what you watched completely.
The casting of actors from the smallest role for the biggest role was very successful in the series and it is full of professional names such as Nada Abu Farhat who reaches a stage where she could convince you the actor who plays the role of her son in the series is actually her son. And Gabrielle Yammine academic experience meeting met with Bassil Khayat professionalism led to scenes that could be taught when it comes to co-acting.
Weak visual effects, however, especially in car scenes take a bit away from the series production value.
