Le’bet Newton
The series “لعبة نيوتن” centers on the relationship of Hana (played by Mona Zaki) and Hazem (played by Mohmed Mamdouh). Tamer Mohsen wrote and directed it.
Hana is pregnant. When she gets an opportunity to travel to the US for a work conference, she starts forming a plan to overstay her visa to give birth in the US. This is because she believes that when their child has the American nationality, s/he will have better life opportunities. Hazem is skeptical of this plan, but he and Hana agree to decide if they’ll carry it out at the end of the 5-day conference.
Hazem and Hana
From the first episode, it becomes clear to us that Hana is quite an anxious character and that Hazem is protective of her. We particularly see this in a scene where Hana gets trapped in the bathroom and screams for Hazem’s help.
Even though she tries to open the door with a toothbrush, Hazem tells her to stop trying and that he’ll handle it. The scene originally showed them having an argument because Hazem questions whether Hana will be okay alone abroad. She gets particularly angry with him when he keeps repeating “Msh Hate3rafy!”
We asked our readers how they perceive Hana and Hazem’s relationship and we got mixed responses. Of the 145 answers we received, 55% believe their relationship is toxic and unhealthy. 25% love their relationship and think that Hazem’s protectiveness is justifiable, and 8% are conflicted. They say that although it’s a nice relationship, it has elements that are unhealthy.
Toxic Relationship
Those who thought Hana and Hazem’s relationship is unhealthy believe that Hazem is toxic and controlling. That because he’s constantly underestimating her, he made her co-dependent and always scared.
Some added that he’s insecure and gets his own confidence by putting her down and making her feel inadequate and inferior. Others highlighted that his reactions towards her are abusive and aggressive and believe that Hazem represents a lot of Egyptian men, even drawing parallels between him and real men they’ve been with.
They believe he displays a fragile masculinity’ where an insecure man needs to assert dominance and control over the woman he’s with in order to feel like a man.
Loving Relationship
On the other end of the spectrum, some love Hana and Hazem’s relationship and argue that it’s clear there’s a lot of love between them. Even though Hazem got angry with Hana, it’s only because he loves her and wants to protect her.
Some believe Hana’s behavior is reckless and selfish and so Hazem’s reactions are justified. They argue that she’s being unnecessarily stubborn and irresponsible just to prove something.
A bit of both…
A third group was conflicted. They believe that yes, there are unhealthy elements of the relationship but admire that they care about each other. They highlight that Hazem’s behavior stems out of worry that ultimately stems out of love. This may have unconsciously led to him undermining her.
They can see that there’s miscommunication and co-dependence between them. However, they also highlight that Hana often leans on Hazem for reassurance and that they’re partners in other ways.
Regardless of how you perceive Hana and Hazem’s relationship, we must say that the characters’ portrayal is interesting and thought-provoking. We’re able to have such different perspectives because they are multi-layered and not one-dimensional. We can see real feelings and human complexities that many of us can relate to and see in real life. The scenes are subtle and allow us to form our own perceptions and have different opinions, which is what great art always does. Also, the actors’ performances are authentic and not overdone. Hats off to the creators!
We’re yet to see how Hana and Hazem’s characters will develop. However, it’s safe to say that this series has us on our toes, we’re excited to find out where it’ll take us. Meanwhile, keep sharing your thoughts with us.