REVIEW: Flat courtroom drama doesn’t do Netflix ‘Justice’


Fatima Al Taei and Mansoor Alfeeli play daughter and father in the new Netflix courtroom drama, “Justice,” the platform’s first series from the United Arab Emirates. (Photo from Netflix)

Netflix debuted its new original series “Justice” Monday, a show which unfortunately failed to effectively resonate with viewers. What could have been a revolutionary series depicting a powerful Arab female lawyer in United Arab Emirates capital Abu Dhabi was actually a pulpy melodrama filled with flat characters, poor acting and unintriguing plotlines.

The Arabic series, supplemented with English subtitles, follows Farah (played by Fatima Al Taei), an American law school graduate who has just returned home to the United Arab Emirates to start her own practice. The series explores issues of autonomy, relationships, truth, obedience and religion as she attempts to balance her family’s interests with her own.

The first episode starts with promise, featuring incredible shots of Arabic architecture, culture and landscape. Intricate camera work and interesting plays on shadow and light give the scenes an enticing warmth. The cinematography within the first few minutes of the show is breathtaking and indicative of the rich Middle Eastern culture in Abu Dhabi. The show pays special attention to the portrayal of forensic evidence and legal documents, painting an aesthetically pleasing and comprehensive image of Farah’s work environment.

In conjunction with the artistic direction, “Justice” does a wonderful job depicting the beauty of Arab societies, going against the stereotypically negative media portrayals of Arab individuals. Particularly, Farah exemplifies Arab women are not categorically objectified and repressed in Muslim countries, a significant step forward in expanding the representation of non-Western characters on television.

However, this is where the series’ positive qualities end. The concept of the show — a woman fighting for justice in a male-dominated workforce, facing all kinds of adversity from both her family and her clientele — is certainly powerful. Despite its strong premise, however, the series lacks the emotional depth and resonance necessary to retain viewership.

The characters, with the exception of Farah, are mostly static. Their expressions seem artificially manufactured and their dialogue disingenuous. Exchanges are often rushed, which make it seem as if the actors can only recite their lines rather than truly perform them. This does an immense disservice to characters like Hasan, Farah’s father, who could have been an intellectually engaging, tenacious male lead if not for his bleak portrayal.

Most of the scenes throughout the show often only serve to amplify the dramatic disparities among the actors’ skills. Though “Justice” attempts to be a drama, it errs on the side of a bad melodrama. The musical choices, coupled with the actors’ emotionless reactions to overtly dramatic discoveries, make the show nearly impossible to watch. The sparse scenes that do elicit spectators’ attention and interest, such as when Farah and her sister tenderly discuss their respective life goals and dreams, typically fall flat at the end of the dialogue, leaving the audience unfulfilled.

The lack of empathetic qualities in the characters, combined with unmoving scenes, results in a lackluster story. Characterized by predictability and marked by disconnected plot points, the show ultimately lacks a sense of significance. Viewers instinctively want to root for Farah as she pursues her dreams, but the repetitive and dull narrative of the series makes this challenging.

Netflix’s new Arabic drama fails to reach its potential as a revolutionary depiction of an Arab woman in a position of power because of its shallow plot, stale characters and exaggerated scenes. The show’s only lifeline, Farah, seems poised to grow as a dynamic character over the course of the series; however, her storyline is not enticing enough to cancel out the show’s significant gaps in content.