Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- witty
- intimate
- awkward
- group movie night
- arabic cinema night
What critics said
The film became a major Arab Netflix success and was praised by many viewers for its dialogue and direction, while its sexual and queer subject matter provoked intense conservative backlash.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The seven friends remain gathered around a dinner table while each incoming phone communication intensifies the interpersonal conflict.
The central game requires everyone to display calls, texts, and voice messages on their phones.
Sexual references, infidelity, obscenity, and homosexuality become flashpoints within the film and its surrounding cultural controversy.
The initially playful dinner game turns uncomfortable as concealed romantic and personal information is revealed.
Films like Perfect Strangers, and why
Perfect Strangers
shared dinner-party pressure cooker, secrets, infidelity, and socially provocative ensemble drama
The Dinner Game
shared confined social setting, escalating revelations, relationship secrets, and darkly comic tension
Carnage
shared ensemble examination of marriage, sexual secrecy, and private identities through candid conversation
Game Night
shared game-night premise that exposes hidden relationships, lies, and uncomfortable personal truths
Movie Details
- Director
- Wissam Smayra
- Release Date
- 2022-01-17
- Runtime
- 99 min
- Rating
- 6.0 / 10 (84)
Cast
- Mona Zaki
- Nadine Labaki
- Eyad Nassar
- Adel Karam
- Diamand Abou Abboud
- Georges Khabbaz
- Fouad Yammine
- Sinead Chaaya
- Raymonde Saade Azar
- Abdelrahman Yasser
Common questions
- What is Perfect Strangers about?
- During a dinner game, seven close friends turn their phones into windows onto the secrets threatening their relationships and social facades.
- What is Perfect Strangers like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Perfect Strangers as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Perfect Strangers violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Perfect Strangers.
- What did critics think of Perfect Strangers?
- The film became a major Arab Netflix success and was praised by many viewers for its dialogue and direction, while its sexual and queer subject matter provoked intense conservative backlash.
- Which films are like Perfect Strangers?
- Films with a similar feel include Perfect Strangers, The Dinner Game, Carnage, and Game Night.
- How long is Perfect Strangers?
- Perfect Strangers runs 99 minutes.
