The Perfumed Garden

At a glance

The Perfumed Garden, is a 2000 Saudi movie, directed by Yamina Benguigui. with a runtime of 52 minutes.

Overview

"The Perfumed Garden" is a bold documentary by an Algerian-French female director that lifts the veil on sexuality and desire in Arab society. Drawing on candid interviews with men and women across generations, social classes, and sexual orientations, the film examines a subject that rarely surfaces in public discourse: premarital intimacy, courtship rituals, family pressures, the tension between private desire and public propriety, and the persistent urge to break social taboos. Beginning with a look at the Arab world's more permissive historical traditions, the film travels to the present day through the stories of contemporary lovers from mixed backgrounds — creating a rare, humanizing portrait of longing, identity, and the language of love in the Arab world.

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