MENA commentators bemoan Dune 2’s lack of variety
Dune: Part 2, filmmaker Denis Villeneuve follow-up to Dune: Part One, has garnered praise for its breathtaking photography and visual effects, but many have criticized it for being too homogeneous and for stereotypically portraying Middle Eastern society, Variety said.
The Dune films are set on the far-off planet Arrakis, which is home to the Freman, and are based on Frank Herbert’s 1965 science fiction classic about religion, empire, and false idols. In the follow-up, which stars Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, and Zendaya, Villeneuve delves further into the world of Arrakis. The film has come under fire for distorting its source culture, given that the original novel was mostly based in Islamic and Middle Eastern (MENA) culture.
Furvah Shah, a Muslim journalist, expressed her frustration with the lack of onscreen MENA talent in major roles in the film. “From the use of beads and prostration in prayers by the Fremen, to the almost-Arabic language, phrases pulled from religious texts and the wearing of veils, it felt like Dune takes a heavy amount of inspiration from Islam, Middle Eastern and North African cultures yet simultaneously erases us from screen,” Shah wrote in a piece for Cosmopolitan UK.
Similarly, Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, the creator of MuslimGirl.com, was quoted in Variety as highlighting the dearth of MENA performers in Hollywood as a whole.
One of the main complaints regarding the representation of Middle Easterners and Brown people in Hollywood is that there isn’t enough talent, but the industry doesn’t hesitate or refuse to cast these actors in the clichéd roles of terrorists or villains. It’s convenient that there are too many Middle Eastern actors portraying unpleasant roles, she said.
Similar thoughts were expressed by casting director and MA Casting founder Serena Rasoul, who told Variety that “this was a missed opportunity to honor the region’s rich culture and heritage.” While our narrative are passable, our people are not.
Some critics have also pointed out that, despite the film’s use of Middle Eastern and North African themes, the cast is notably lacking in diversity. Thomas Simsarian Dolan, an academic advisor for the MENA Arts Advocacy Coalition and faculty in Middle Eastern and South Asian Studies at Emory, was unimpressed with the stereotypical portrayal of Souheila Yacoub, a Swiss-born actor of Tunisian heritage, as the only minority actor reduced to playing the role of the “noble savage” or “native fixer,” whose main role in the trope is to help the hero and die.
According to Dolan, “the native fixer is involved in the action, but he or she is clearly in a decidedly second-class position, serving the colonial power or hero.” “Why is it so unpopular to hire MENA actors and creatives if the novel is so firmly rooted in this location?”
Variety stated that Dune: Part Two has been criticized for modifying language from its original novel, which has resulted in drawing from marginalized cultures and people without centering them and ultimately weakening novelist Herbert’s anti-colonial message. It has also been criticized for not using more MENA performers. Manvir Singh, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of California, Davis, notes in a recent New Yorker article that although Herbert’s novel had a lot of Arabic, the movie’ linguist David J. For “believability,” Peterson eliminated it.
Hollywood was criticized for not doing a better job of accurately portraying minority cultures, particularly in light of the continuous destruction in North and Middle Eastern regions of the world. According to Al-Khatahtbeh, “the way we’re portrayed in the media has a direct impact on how people perceive our communities, which are already facing unspeakable oppression and complacency.”
Although director Villeneuve chose not to comment to Variety, he has previously defended his adaptation of Dune: Part One and stated that staying true to the book was his main objective. “I made an effort to stay as true as possible to the mental pictures I had of the book when I read it as a young reader,” the man stated. And Frank Herbert had this notion that something strong would emerge from Africa, which led him to believe that the world of the Fremen would be somewhat influenced by Middle Eastern and North African culture—cultures that, incidentally, I adore because they are such intricate societies. I made an effort to honor his opinions. This is the reason for my casting method. I really believe that this is the correct approach for me to take. It seems genuine, truthful, and faithful to the text.
But according to Variety, critics have pointed out that the lone actor portraying a minority in Dune: Part One was David Dastmalchian, an Iranian-born actor who portrayed a House Harkonnen that colonized Arrakis and plucked its riches.
The transition to embracing culture and inclusiveness in a way that pleases critics and audiences alike seems to be a long way off, with minority actors still making up a small portion of Hollywood performers and being mostly constrained to conforming to stereotypes.
I am a dedicated student currently in my seventh semester, pursuing a degree in International Relations. Alongside my academic pursuits, I am actively engaged in the professional field as a content writer at the Rangeinn website.
