12 Incredible Movies to Learn Arabic

My love for movies and languages undoubtedly helped me write several articles on learning a new language through films and TV shows.

Today, to continue this series, the topic is 12 great movies to learn Arabic.

Learning a foreign language should be on everyone’s bucket list. Being one of the world’s most widely spoken languages makes sense to dive into Arabic of all in-demand languages.

While it might not be as famous as some European ones, it is the most popular among Turkish, Persian, and Arabic.

It is always the right thing to do when you want to experience a different method of gaining your favorite tongue.

And the best way to achieve this is immersion.

And what is a better approach than enjoying films?

There are reasons why you should learn Arabic by watching movies.

While everyone has a preferred genre, it could be a thriller, romance, drama, or horror. But all of us fancy the thoughts through the visuals of the cinema.

Why Learn Arabic through Movies

The written method of language learning — books, newspapers, magazines, and blogs are just incredible. However, it demands a lot of work. But with movies, you do less work while enjoying the entire process.

Arabic is a hard language to learn, especially the tricky listening part.

To practice regularly, you need conversations with speakers, Arabic courses, audio, and video lessons.

You can surround yourself with Arabic every time you get by watching the best movies to learn Arabic.

Movies get you immersed in the Arabic culture while giving you a great relaxation feel. Watching good films to learn Arabic also increases your awareness of art.

In every Arab country, there is a different dialect and varieties of Arabic.

It is one of the main reasons Arabic is not the most straightforward language for English speakers. Still, learning the Arabic language will allow you to discover various Arabic dialects and slang.

You also get to educate yourself and free your mind from the stereotypes about the Middle East, North Africa, Arabic people, traditions, customs, history, and cultural aspects.

Where to Watch Arabic Films?

There are plenty of good movies to learn Arabic on Netflix. To save your time in searching for films on Netflix, you can use secret genre codes.

Replace the last few digits XXXX (Netflix.com/browse/genre/XXXX) with the below-mentioned codes to explore the treasure.

5875 – Middle-Eastern, 61145 – Arabic language, 78297 – Comedy, 59386 – Documentaries, 60018 – Dramas, 63739 – Critically acclaimed, 60768 – Political, 81205 – Social & Cultural, 81375 – Emotional, 64194 – African Arabic, and many more.

Besides, You can watch several original films and TV-Series in various dialects on various online streaming, including Amazon and many more.

Some movies are also available on YouTube.

12 Must-See Movies to Learn Arabic

Suppose you’re a dedicated Arabic learner who wants to advance your learning method. In that case, Arabic cinemas offer the best way to do that.

Although there are 100’s of films, I have only mentioned the must-watch and the ones that can improve your Arabic.

So, here are 12 Arabic movies to learn Arabic.

1. The Mummy (1969)

I start with this movie that focuses on a grave-robbing gang in the peak periods of the 1800s.

The film talks about colonialism and war, and antiquity in the middle of Egyptian national identity.

One member of the group of grave robbers (of the Upper Egyptian Tribe) dissented. He went to the police to help them find and recover the unprecedented cache of ancient treasures.

The Mummy is one of the most critical films in Egypt.

The Arabic spoken in this film is slow, calculative, and is of a modern standard. The conversational context is encouraging for a beginner.

2. Solitare (2016)

Solitare is a Lebanese Syrian Arabic movie. It is a comedy that talks about the disappointment felt by a mother in her daughter regarding the man she married.

The mother has never liked people from Syria for ages. So, when Ghada, her daughter, got engaged to her Syrian man (Samer), all hell broke loose.

At first, no one wanted to tell the mother, but she later finds out about the man when he greeted her using her Syrian Arabic.

The movie is excellent for Arabic language learners who want to study something about Lebanese-Syrian relationships from the views of individual grudges.

The dialogue is fast-paced, and the two varieties yet similar Arabic is an excellent opportunity to learn something interesting.

3. The Sin (1965)

For the politically minded folks, this is one type of motion picture to watch. It allows you to reflect on the world and all that’s happening in it.

The talkie talks about the oppression of peasants, as set in Egypt.

Azizah, the young farmer’s wife, was subject to terrible injustice yet forced to keep it away from her family, so it doesn’t tear her happiness.

The film uses modern standard Arabic and the colloquial tongue that makes it a superb choice for beginners and other levels of learners.

4. Kandisha (2008)

It is a Moroccan film that talks about a supernatural mystery. Who could have thought lawyers would saddle with paranormal cases?

A woman accused of killing her husband hires Nyla Jade, a lawyer, to defend her.

The woman maintained that Kandisha, a vengeful spirit and a well-known Moroccan legend, murders her husband.

Nyla has to prove to everyone, including her husband, that Kandisha is real and is responsible for the murder.

You would like the diversity of languages present in modern-day Moroccan Arabic life.

This is one of the best movies to learn Arabic, especially for the student of advanced level.

5. The Worthy (2016)

If you think dramas relating to post-apocalyptic events only come from Hollywood, think again.

The Worthy is a film that talks about the effect of drought and the battle about who should get access to water as human civilization crumbles to pieces.

When some smooth-talking and mysterious people met the group of survivors guarding the only remaining water source, things started happening awkwardly and horrifically.

The one dialect of Arabic spoken by the 12 surviving people makes this movie more understandable for beginners and intermediate learners.

6. Omar (2014)

Conflict brings crashes in friendship and creates enemies. That is what happened in this film.

The flick talks about how the Israeli-Palestine conflict affected a love triangle.

Omar, Amjad, and Tarek are childhood friends. But, when Israeli security forces capture and took Omar, they forced him to give out information about his other two friends.

It is more painful knowing that he and Amjad are madly in love with Nadeen, Tarek’s sister.

This movie introduces the realities of living in a conflict zone, trapped and forced to make complicated decisions against one’s happiness.

It will surprise you to see how Israelis speak fluent Palestinian Arabic.

7. West Beirut (1998)

The 105 minutes long flick reflects on life during the war in Beirut.

Two friends, Omar and Tarek, who are just entering adulthood, find themselves in the middle of a crisis. There were living in a society where there are no rules, no schools, nor a vacation that will end soon.

West Beirut portrays how young people can find it crucial when the system and settings that hold them in place for many years fall apart.

You would like a simple vocabulary. The tailored-made sentences meet the understanding of young people.

8. Far from Men (2015)

This Algeria Arabic movie tells the story of a schoolteacher living in rural Algeria.

They tasked him with escorting Reda Kateb, a murderer, across the desert to his court trial.

On the way, both discuss innocence and the concept of guilt. It is one film that puts you in real suspense.

The director set the movie in the early hours of the Algerian revolution against French colonialism.

9. Blessed Benefit (2016)

Blessed Benefit is a Jordanian Arabic cinema that highlights the best parts of Arabic comedy.

It is a prison film that ironically depicts life behind bars as saner, much better than living outside.

When Ahmad, an unfortunate contractor, fails to deliver a contract obligation, they threw him in jail to serve for three months.

While in prison, he met many people from different Jordanian backgrounds. They told him their aspects of life and what they believe.

Ahmed came to realize that all of his needs were being taken care of in prison. And he concluded that there is no need for being free.

The highly witted and quick dialogues make this a pure Arabic comedy.

There are lots of jokes and thrilling moments that would make you crack your head in laughter.

10. The Taste of Lemon (2010)

This flick describes the rough lives of Iraqi and Palestinian refugees living in dilapidated houses in Damascus neighborhoods in Syria.

The film seeks to portray the delicate but complex issues that plague refugees everywhere.

Living in exile fills with lots of madness in the everyday life of people who have no place to call their actual homes.

11. Paradise Now (2005)

This award-winning film tells the story of two young and promising Palestinian closed friends.

The resistance group recruiters them to become suicide bombers. Commotion followed when the operation they were involved in didn’t go as planned.

This movie has plenty of paranoia, suspense, and plot twists.

It reached its climax when two men questioned the moral and political justification of what they’re about to do.

Paradise Now is one movie that would put you on the edge of your seat all day.

It is one of the must-watch movies to learn Arabic. In addition, it is the first Palestinian film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

12. When Monaliza Smiled (2012)

If you love romantic comedy, don’t miss out on this one.

It tells the story of a Jordanian woman, Monaliza, who hardly smiles because she thinks there is no reason to smile.

But slowly, she finds herself increasingly attracted to a cheerful and energetic Egyptian migrant named Hamdi in the same office where they work.

Although Hamdi succeeded in putting a smile on the face of Monaliza, she later finds out that there are a lot of hurdles to cross before she can be with him.

The film reflects the complexity that also characterizes Jordanian life.

The simple vocabulary and calculative dialogue make it a fabulous choice for elementary and pre-intermediate.

Final Thought on Learning Arabic with Films

Arabic is a widespread foreign tongue to pick since it offers many careers involving languages, personal and professional benefits.

And you can make this happen by watching movies to learn Arabic.

While these films are available for you to watch online, don’t be lax because they won’t be there forever.

Now that they’re still online, getting on with your language learning by watching these movies.

You will discover how lovely and entertaining it is to learn the Arabic language through films.