A Naked Mind

The initial concept for A Naked Mind originated from the tragic suicide of one of our dear friends. It was a deeply distressing incident that confronted us with the harsh reality of our friend's demise and the profound impact it had on his wife. The plight of the wife's friends after the suicide was very shocking for us. With no support from anyone, and while everyone saw her as responsible for the husband's suicide, she had to tackle a very difficult life. These events served as the catalyst for our film, although the final outcome doesn't explicitly revolve around this idea, except for a few initial ones.

Narratively, we contemplated various concepts throughout the film's development, including the plight of a Middle Eastern woman striving for freedom within societal and patriarchal constraints. Seeing the plight of our friend's wife and the harsh judgment of the community, we pondered how an individual's gender identity, particularly when growing up in a Middle Eastern society, could shape their future and intertwine with their past. The theme of identity held great significance for us, questioning the factors that define a person's sense of self. Is one's identity solely determined by their country of birth? Does culture, personal, and family be the only factors that determine one's identity and responsibility towards others?

In this film, the protagonist is also a victim of their past, a past in which they played no active role. Now, however, they find themselves compelled to fight for it, all the while being subjected to judgment and questioning that could potentially cause them great harm. They are left alone to grapple with this issue, with no one but themselves concerned with it. This raises a profoundly important question: To what extent does one become a victim of their own identity and their familial ties?

While it is undeniable that socioeconomic, familial, and political structures undeniably influence our lives, there are numerous other factors that shape our identities. Our interests in specific cultures, the arts, and the relationships we form with others all contribute significantly to who we are. Unfortunately, these nuanced aspects of identity are often overlooked, and individuals are incessantly judged based on their family background, race, gender, and nationality, subjecting them to torment. This film serves as a contemplation on the cruelty inflicted upon people through such judgments.

When recounting a story, especially within a specific genre, it is essential to be well-versed in the genre's development and to discern how to infuse creativity into it. In our case, we believed that our innovation lay in the integration of Arab culture and its elements while ensuring a sense of believability.

Despite the vast potential market for such films in Arab countries, given the population of over 400 million Arabs worldwide and the growing cinematic industry in these regions, thrillers remained relatively uncommon. Consequently, our aim was to create a thriller centered around the life of an Arab family, incorporating elements of their daily existence through the arrangement of household items, the political backdrop of their country, and the film's music, which exuded an Arab ambiance.

We do believe that a good entertainment film with a genre structure has more power than a cold or realistic film to be politically useful. Tragic structures have always captivated our interest, leading us to ponder how one can begin a film with a detective thriller structure and ultimately transform it into a tragic structure. We wanted to start with a crime mystery and end the film with a tragedy. Given this, examples like the film "Chinatown" resonate with us, where the initial murder mystery gradually reveals the underlying tragedy. These cinematic associations intrigued us, prompting contemplation on how to create an impactful film with a distinct genre narrative.

However, the thriller genre presented its challenges, particularly when working with limited resources and as an independent filmmaker. Thrillers demand meticulous attention to special effects, the coordination of action sequences, and intricate event design. In this project, we endeavored to overcome these limitations and, despite the constrained budget, create a thought-provoking thriller that conveyed a meaningful message. We structured the story to unravel incrementally, with each moment adding a new layer akin to peeling an onion, ultimately revealing the profound depth of the narrative.