Review: ‘Fingernails’ – Jessie Buckley and Riz Ahmed star in Apple TV+’s anti-climactic sci-fi romance 

"Fingernails" played as a part of the Special Presentation program at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. (Supplied)
Short Url
Updated 28 September 2023
Follow

Review: ‘Fingernails’ – Jessie Buckley and Riz Ahmed star in Apple TV+’s anti-climactic sci-fi romance 

TORONTO: What if there was a test that could determine for certain that you and your partner are in love? Set in a near-distant future, Greek director’s Christos Nikou’s English debut “Fingernails” toys with that idea but the end result falls flat.

The sci-fi sees Anna (Jessie Buckley) on a job hunt after the school she worked for closes down. She lands a position at the love institute run by Duncan (Luke Wilson). This is an establishment that dedicates all its efforts to testing couples on whether they are truly in love with each other. 

Anna and her partner Ryan (Jeremy Allen White) received a positive test early into their relationship and have settled into a predictable routine at home that no longer excites Anna. Enter, Amir (Oscar-winner Riz Ahmed), Anna’s charming co-worker who helps her find her feet as they start running tests with clients and ultimately collect their fingernails for the final result. As weeks go on and despite Anna’s 100% test with her partner, Amir and Anna fall for each other which contradicts their entire career.

Buckley and Ahmed have instant chemistry as coworkers who root for their clients and share the same optimism for love but the real issue lies within the script. Director and writer Christos Nikou had an opportunity to take this “Black Mirror” style idea and turn it into something thrilling with higher stakes and gorier shots, instead it cuts away whenever fingernails are pulled and there’s no consequence for people if they step out of their test-proven matches. 

Aside from a lackluster screenplay, the score and cinematography match the eerie theme at hand and the pressures that our heroine faces with her conflicted feelings. The performances from Riz Ahmed, Jeremy Allen White and Luke Wilson carry the film and do what they can, especially Jessie Buckley who swaps her thick Irish accent for a convincing American one and is luminous throughout the film. 

Though the film Nikou’s message is clear — love is not a science and can’t be manufactured or determined by a machine and while the film is shot on 35mm making it seem better and more artistic than it is, “Fingernails” fails to live up to its full potential.

"Fingernails" played as a part of the Special Presentation program at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.


L’Atelier Nawbar gains fans in Hollywood

Updated 13 sec ago
Follow

L’Atelier Nawbar gains fans in Hollywood

  • British star Cynthia Erivo wears label’s jewelry at Coachella
  • Dima and Tania Nawbar head family business set up in 1881

DUBAI: Dima and Tania Nawbar, the sisters behind Lebanese jewelry label L’Atelier Nawbar, have added a new Hollywood name to their list of fans: Cynthia Erivo.

The British singer and actress was spotted this week wearing The Buoy Hoops from L’Atelier Nawbar’s latest Lot No. 91 collection during her Coachella debut.

Crafted from 18-karat yellow gold, the statement earrings were paired with a cream lace gown featuring wide bell sleeves layered over a black satin base. The look combined varied textures and was styled with over-the-knee black boots.

The sisters took to Instagram to share a picture of the star wearing the earrings and wrote: “In love!!!”

L’Atelier Nawbar was established in 2011. Dima and Tania are fourth generation jewelers. They are the first women to take over the family’s Beirut-based business which was founded by their great-great-grandfather in a gold souk in 1881.

Since establishing their own modern take on the brand, the sisters have gone on to see their designs worn by international celebrities including Queen Rania of Jordan and Joey King.

And they have their collection of rings, pendants, necklaces and bracelets stocked at major retailers including Harrods, Bloomingdales and Moda Operandi.

The designers previously told Arab News that they wanted trendy, multipurpose jewelry for every day and night. Their designs can be worn in various ways, with pendants serving also as rings, which reduces investment costs.

The sisters also decided to move away from the traditional business model and offer something new. “We didn’t want to traditionally follow the family business as it was,” Dima said.

So the sisters decided to embrace individuality by remodeling pieces and creating new bespoke jewelry for clients.

Clients are able to bring their own jewelry into the atelier, and the designers will upcycle and redesign the pieces into something fresh and modern.


Ramy Youssef stars in new film by ‘Succession’ creator

Updated 23 April 2025
Follow

Ramy Youssef stars in new film by ‘Succession’ creator

DUBAI: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman and Cory Michael Smith play four billionaires in “Succession” creator Jesse Armstrong‘s HBO film, “Mountainhead.”

As they enjoy their trip, the world erupts in chaos with headlines such as “Sectarian Violence Escalates in India” and “President of Uzbekistan Forced to Move to Secret Location” interrupting their downtime.

In the trailer, the billionaires receive a call from the President of the United States. “What could he possibly have to say?” asks Smith.

Youssef responds: “That your platform has inflamed a volatile situation, circulating unfalsifiable deepfakes, massive fraud, market instability.”

Armstrong wrote and directed the film, which is a parody of the lives of the ultra-wealthy.

Filming began on “Mountainhead” in March, giving the crew a tight turnaround time before the film’s release on May 31.

In a recent interview with Variety, Youssef teased the film, saying it’s “funny in the same way ‘Succession’ is.”

Egyptian American comedian, writer, actor and director Youssef is known for creating and starring in “Ramy” on the US streaming platform Hulu, which won him a Golden Globe in 2020 in the category Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy.

His animated series “#1 Happy Family USA” had world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas, in March.


Red Sea Film Foundation announces mentorship program with Spike Lee

Updated 22 April 2025
Follow

Red Sea Film Foundation announces mentorship program with Spike Lee

DUBAI: Academy Award-winning filmmaker Spike Lee – known for films like “Malcolm X” and “BlacKkKlansman” – is teaming up with Saudi Arabia's Red Sea Film Foundation to launch the brand new Director’s Program.

The initiative will bring together 15 selected filmmakers for a “one-of-a-kind, intimate and inspiring mentoring experience” with Lee, according to an Instagram post from the foundation.

Taking place from April 30 to May 3, the program offers emerging directors from the Middle East and Asia a rare opportunity to learn from one of the most influential voices in cinema.

Applications are open until April 24.


Simone Biles wins Laureus award in Saudi design

Updated 22 April 2025
Follow

Simone Biles wins Laureus award in Saudi design

  • Saudi Arabia’s Eman Al-Ajlan designed Biles’ dress
  • US gymnast won 3 gold, 1 silver at Paris Olympics

DUBAI: US gymnast Simone Biles took home the Sportswoman of the Year award at the 2025 Laureus World Sports Awards this week, wearing a black gown by Saudi Arabia designer Eman Al-Ajlan.

The athlete opted for a strapless dress with a structured corset bodice featuring nude and black embroidered detailing. It included a voluminous peplum-style layer at the waist and a floor-length, sheer black skirt.

Simone Biles opted for a strapless dress with a structured corset bodice. (Getty Images)

She paired the look with simple diamond accessories and a black Tyler Ellis bag.

The American gymnast won three gold and a silver at the Paris Olympics.

Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis was named Sportsman of the Year. He had won a second Olympic gold medal and twice raised his own world record.

Al-Ajlan shared a photo on Instagram of Biles wearing her design, writing: “Congratulations @simonebiles on winning the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award.”

This is not the first time Al-Ajlan’s designs have appeared on major red carpets.

Earlier this year, at the 96th Academy Awards, US social media personality Kristy Sarah wore a gown by Al-Ajlan.

The dress was a strapless, form-fitting gown in a soft nude tone. It featured a structured, ruched bodice that extended into a mermaid-style silhouette.

The skirt and train were embellished with three-dimensional floral appliques in shades of lavender and lilac.

In 2023, she dressed US actress, dancer, and social media star Tessa Brooks in an all-black ensemble for the MusiCares Persons of the Year event in Los Angeles.

The following year, British model and TV presenter Leomie Anderson wore a structured look by Al-Ajlan at the 2024 amfAR Gala in Cannes, featuring a mini dress layered with a net-like skirt.

Al-Ajlan, who launched her label in 2007, is based in Riyadh and specializes in couture, bridal and pret-a-porter designs.

She has dressed several regional celebrities for international events, including Saudi Arabia actresses Mila Alzahrani and Dae Al-Hilali at the 2019 Venice Film Festival.

In 2024, Riyadh-based TV host Ajwa Aljoudi wore a mustard gown by the designer to the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards in Hollywood.


Japan’s Kaneko Masakazu explores memory, myth and nature in intimate Saudi Film Festival talk

Updated 22 April 2025
Follow

Japan’s Kaneko Masakazu explores memory, myth and nature in intimate Saudi Film Festival talk

DHAHRAN: Japanese filmmaker Kaneko Masakazu — known for his cinematic exploration of nature, memory, and myth — captivated audiences at the 11th Saudi Film Festival (SFF) with an intimate and insightful conversation about the deep connections between culture and storytelling.

Masakazu was joined on stage by Abdulrahman Al-Qarzaee, a fluent Japanese speaker from Saudi Arabia who served as translator with cultural commentator Showg AlBarjas acting as moderator.

The conversation delved into how landscapes, folklore and cultural identity shape cinematic storytelling, facilitating a thoughtful exchange of ideas that spanned cultural boundaries.

During this session, Masakazu shared his approach to filmmaking, particularly in “River Returns” (2024), his third feature film. It was shown just days earlier at the SFF, which is set to wrap up on April 23.

The film, a stunning blend of fantasy and drama, takes place in a rural Japanese village and tells the story of a young boy’s perilous journey to a seemingly haunted body of water. There, he hopes to calm the grief-stricken spirit responsible for devastating floods that have plagued the village. The story is set during the 1958 typhoon, which serves as a backdrop to the boy’s journey.

Masakazu revealed how his work has always been centered on the relationship between humans and nature.

“My work deals with the relationship between nature and humans as its central theme. It tells these stories in a poetic, almost mythical style,” he said.

In “River Returns,” the boy’s journey to the mountain pool is not just a physical one, but a spiritual and emotional quest, too.

The film captures how natural disasters can be viewed as manifestations of spiritual unrest, a concept in Japanese folklore that seemed to resonate with Saudi audiences.

The film’s breathtaking cinematography beautifully contrasts the serene landscapes with the looming, furiously violent storm, underscoring the dynamic between the gentle and the destructive forces of nature.

“The meaning of the narrative is ultimately left to the viewer — whether they experience sadness, love or the echo of an ancient tale,” Masakazu shared. “In the end, it becomes a transmission of culture, a passing down of folklore, all leading back to a shared emotional core. At the same time, I’m interested in how people respond — how a non-Japanese audience might engage with it.”