AlRawabi School For Girls first appeared on Netflix in 2021, titled after an exclusive all-girls school that formed the backdrop of a teen drama focusing on the terrible blight of bullying and social media. The titular school is fiction, but the show — only the fourth Jordanian original — uses it as a stand-in for many real-life institutions where very similar stories take place every day.
Is AlRawabi School for Girls a Real Place?
The AlRawabi School for Girls is not real. It is a fictional location created for the series. However, it could be argued that the school does represent a lot of similar institutions, making the series relatable for viewers — particularly those of a certain age — who may be in a similar situation to those in the show. The main difference here is the location, as the series presents the all-girl school in Amman, meaning there are some societal differences that audiences are faced with when watching.
Season 1 of the show was filmed in the capital of Jordan, Amman, and Season 2 was also filmed there. Some of the cultural specificities of this setting strongly factor into the show’s plot, providing a relatively unique take on the overly familiar high-school drama.
Production
AlRawabi School for Girls is directed and produced by Tima Shomali, who is also the creator of the Netflix series. When the show was developed it was not made with Netflix in mind, but Tima would reveal some secrets in an interview conducted with Al Bawaba. The showrunner stated that the objective was to bring bullying into the spotlight and would say that as far as bullying was concerned when she was attending school, “We did not know what bullying meant, but we lived through it and did not know about it”.
Other named producers on the series are Islam Alshomali, Issam M, Husseini, Shirin Kamal, Nadine Toukan, and Amanda Krentzman.
What was unique about the casting?
There was a very unique idea that was incorporated by the writer and producer in regards to casting the characters. The cast was all relatively unknown and new to television, and the actors were allowed to choose which character they would play in the series. The idea may have been to allow the performers to choose to play a role that they felt they could identify with, allowing for a more honest and accurate portrayal.
What are the themes of the first season?
The show has a revenge narrative running through it, and there is a lot of emphasis placed on this aspect of the plot. However, there are also other ideas at play, and the show touches upon the rights of women, the psychology behind bullying and the repercussions, and the forming of relationships. The show’s location also offers an insight into the societal norms of such a conservative culture that many of us will never experience.
RELATED:
