The Matchmaker

Once upon a time, there was a girl called Aliaa.

A man fell in love with her and they got married.

But as time went by, he caused her pain.

He hurt her. He broke her.

May God never let a young girl suffer as she did.

Or a grown one.

She was desperate for anyone to believe her,

but no one did.

She went looking for a solution, but no one would listen to her.

Not even her own family.

She sought a solution to her problem.

For someone to listen.

Suddenly, there was an ear in the middle of the desert

that heard her.

An ear with strange features.

An ear that could understand her problem,

and solve it.

That ear promised to give her a servant who would obey her.

So it gave her Siba.

The one we used to hear about from our grandmothers.

Siba The Hidden One.

She cleansed the sins of her man,

and he came back a new person.

From that day on, she was content,

and started thinking about others like her.

The hidden ring belonged to Siba.

She revealed herself,

and punished all men for her and for every other woman.

Reema!

Reema?

Reem!

Reema?

- You blinked! You blinked! - I didn't! A fly flew into my eye.

- I saw you blink! - Something flew into my eye.

I saw you blink!

You always beat me at this game.

Hello, Tarek.

- Hi. - I left your dinner on the stove.

Sorry. We ate without you, 'cause you're late.

- That's all right. - Why does Daddy work so late all the time?

He has a lot of work, sweetie.

More than you do?

Not more than your mom.

But I work in IT, baby. I'm always the last one out.

Mama, what's IT?

Well, it's...

You know when the system at school won't let you log in?

The people you call are IT.

But who said "IT"? Was it me or her?

Hey, it's all right. It's just a question.

And I'm trying to answer her.

Mama knows everything.

Sweetie, your dad knows everything. He can tell you.

- Did you do your homework? - Yes.

Good. Come on, put away your things. It's bedtime.

Come on in.

Which floor?

Second floor.

There's a difference between a male and a man.

There's a lot of males out there these days, but men? Not a lot.

So what do you mean when you say "a man"?

Being in charge.

Being in charge is a woman's job as well.

She's in charge. She comes back home and she feeds the kids.

On top of that, she has to work--

Different kinds of responsibilities.

- She has to do all this. - No, no, no.

- Hello? - Hello?

Hi, Tarek.

Hello.

Where are you? Will you be home soon?

- I'm at work . - It's already so late.

I know it is, but I still have stuff to do.

We ate without you. Want me to leave you a plate?

- Sure. - When will you be home?

I'll finish up and head home.

- Okay, bye. - Bye.

Is it his job to take care of the kids? Or stay at home?

Throughout history--

He has to help raise the kids.

Okay, but, Salma, use a smaller font and fewer words.

And as a rule of thumb,

whenever you're addressing one of our subsidiaries,

never use the words "would you kindly."

Your tone has to be direct.

-"You are required to." - Okay.

That's it.

Good.

Good job. Excellent work.

I don't even smoke.

I heard a noise, so I came down.

It sounded like a seagull.

Have you ever heard one?

So how's work?

Gross.

Watch out for Abu Mouath.

How come?

He's a harasser.

I know.

That he's a harasser?

Mm-hm.

I'll be all right.

Tarek, how's Abu Mouath's request coming along?

I'm printing out the invoices. I'll give them to Salma.

But Salma resigned today.

INVITATION TO ABU MOUATH

Do you feel lonely?

That no one cares about you, and you haven't yet found your calling?

Well, I have the answer to your problem. I have what you need.

A magical place,

an amazing landscape,

with a partner who can appreciate and transform you.

Your marriage will be finalized within 24 hours,

with total protection of your privacy.

Register now. No one will ever know.

You haven't booked a hotel yet?

So, dear listener, you've got to take a different direction.

We've been talking for years about changing and taking a new direction.

I think, basically, that it's about making the decision.

To every man listening right now, be bold.

Get out. Go.

If an idea scares you, you need to go for it.

As a man, you need to seek adventure and take risks.

You can stay at home when you're an old man with gray hair.

Put yourself where you wanna be.

Hello there. Uh, I have a reservation--

First of all,

I'd like to inform you, sir,

that you will receive a new outfit for you to wear while you're here.

Secondly,

once the activities are over, guests must stay in their rooms, no matter what.

For your safety, of course.

And lastly, if you need anything at all,

just dial the number zero from your room's telephone

and we're more than glad to help.

Who are those men there?

Like you,

they're guests.

Uh, how do I get to my room?

A bellboy will be here soon to escort you there. Have a pleasant stay.

- Thank you. - Of course.

This is a special outfit for you.

There's also a headscarf

so that guests may hide their faces.

Why hide them?

To protect privacy.

Good evening, dear guest.

If you would please come with me.

Where are we going?

You'll find out soon. If you would please come with me.

Hello there. We're so glad you came.

Likewise.

So how was your trip?

A bit exhausting.

And what do you think about our little place?

I just got here, so I don't know.

But, uh, I can already say that this place is, uh, impressive, genuine.

Genuine.

I love that word.

Indeed.

Our tradition is very genuine.

And because you're genuine, we accepted your application.

And hopefully, you'll be pleased.

How's your family doing?

They're just fine.

You didn't bring your kids along?

I'm kidding.

I could see you were tense and I thought I'd try a joke.

Okay, so you visited our website, looked at our services,

and most importantly, you saw the complete secrecy we operate with.

The marriage ceremonies that we do here

are done with a sense of community.

So you'll be attending other weddings,

and therefore, other guests will attend yours.

Unless, of course, you have a problem with that. We would completely understand.

Mm, I have no problem with that.

Excellent.

Open it. Go on.

Put it on.

It looks great on you.

Thank you for the ring.

Could I at least see the girl that was selected?

Hm.

You will. Later.

Just get some rest for now, and everything will come in time.

Saad, see that he's well rested. He's come such a long way.

WE'RE PLEASED TO INVITE YOU TO TONIGHT'S WEDDING

30 PM SO WE CAN ESCORT YOU

- Is this your first time? - Huh?

Is it your first time here?

Yes, it is.

You're lucky, you know?

And you? Your first time?

Yeah. You'll have a great time.

- How do you know? - Be patient. Just wait.

- You know how it works around here? - No one knows how things work around here.

That's exactly what you want.

- What do you mean? - It's a different world.

It's not like back at home. I regret that I never knew about it before.

Don't you have an image in your head of your own ideal woman?