This year, director Blessy has finally released his brutal and confronting film fifteen years in the making. The Goat’s Life” or “Aadujeevitham” depicts the true story of a Malayali man’s fight for survival and soon freedom, after first becoming stranded in the Saudi Arabia desert, immigrant laborer Najeeb Muhammed is enslaved and forced to work as a goat herder without pay. The film chronicles his struggles and eventual escape to a safe and peaceful life today.
The film’s extended and troubled production became as notorious as the film itself. Adapted from a 2008 novel, Blessy had wanted to make this film as soon as reading the book but struggled for years finding a producer to provide financial backing. After finally securing funding in 2015, Blessy would cast the film and begin filming in 2018 through different schedules. Filming would finish in 2022 but not before the COVID outbreak would result in the film crew becoming stranded out in the Jordan desert for 70 days.
Almost immediately upon its release onto Netflix, “Aadujeevitham” would receive heavy backlash from Arabian viewers, claiming the film greatly exaggerates the case of one migrant worker and is furthermore an inaccurate portrayal of Saudi Arabia migrant workforce conditions. Many have even called for a boycott of Netflix.
The film’s depicted person, Najeeb Muhammed would share further details of his three-year experience in later interviews following the film’s release.
The film has currently been banned in countries Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, both countries which the novel was previously banned in. Previously, the film had been banned in all Gulf countries besides UAE, before being lifted.
By Lachlan Scouler
Sources
https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/09/03/movie-based-migrant-workers-life-faces-backlash-saudi-arabia
