Movies & TV

I saw Ramy Youssef's character as deeply flawed, even if he wasn't portrayed as plainly villainous as Mark Ruffalo or Christopher Abbott's characters. It's left more for the audience to decide. My takeaway was that it showed how even well-intentioned people can do harm. He was absolutely wrong to want to marry Bella when she was still mentally a child, but he wasn't acting out of intentional malice. He was taken by her physical beauty and neglected to consider her immaturity, because he himself was emotionally immature. He's a product of a deeply patriarchal society that infantilizes women, so his behavior is sadly par-for-the-course, though it's not an excuse. By the end of the film he does show character growth, feeling remorse over their engagement, and has a greater respect for Bella's agency. I think it's good to show that people who do wrong can learn and grow, because humans are morally complex beings.

As for her arc as a sex worker, I don't think it was a celebration of her sexual liberation per se, as the film does not shy away from the exploitation inherent to sex work under capitalism (it's not a coincidence that she starts attending socialist meeting at this time). She becomes frustrated with her lack of agency in choosing clients and is sexually abused by the madam of the brothel - it's not exactly a girlboss moment. Yes, she does use this time as an opportunity to explore her sexuality, because in the patriarchal society that shames women for wanting sex, her options are quite limited. The sad fact is that a lot of women do have their early sexual experiences in far-from ideal, even outright abusive situations, and I think the Ruffalo and brothel sections of the film were both showing that, not celebrating it. It was supposed to make you feel uncomfortable.