Finding Ola Review: Hend Sabry’s Journey of Self Discovery

Finding Ola on Netflix is helmed by director Hadi El Bagoury with Hend Sabry serving as the executive producer. The show is a reprised version of the 2010 Arabic show- Ayza Atgawez aka I Want to Get Married, where Hend Sabry is featured as the protagonist. In Netflix’s latest remake, Sabry reprises in the titular role of Ola. The other cast members include Hany Adel, Sawsan Badr, Nada Moussa, Mahmoud Ellisy, Khaled El Nabawy, Dalia Shawky, Aisel Ramzy, Omar Sharif and Yasmine El-Abd. The series consists of a total of six episodes, each with a runtime of approximately 50 minutes.

– Finding Ola Review Does Not Contain Spoilers –

Finding Ola: A Search for Self

Finding Ola serves as a sequel or end-credits to the top-rated show I Want To Get Married. However, the beauty of it is that you can watch the sequel series without actually knowing anything about the original. For existing fans though, this seems to be a chapter beyond the happily ever after that we witnessed in the original series.

Ola has spent looking for her husband during the entire time of I Want To Get Married. In Finding Ola, we finally see our protagonist in an ideal image. Ola seems to have it all: two kids (Nadia and Salim), a husband (Hisham), in-laws with the stereotype that she cannot tolerate and, her mother having her back. What could go wrong, right?

Yet a few minutes into the first episode, after Ola has already given out her verdict on having a perfect family comes the real shock – her husband decides to leave her. No, there isn’t another person or he is tired of his wife, but just that the man wants to feel happy. Leaving Ola in doom with two kids and a house to handle, the show progresses to show us Ola’s transformative journey from being a wife to a divorcee to a business person to finally become a self-actualized woman who is happy in her life.

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In Finding Ola, we see how a life-altering event can be manifested to positivity to overcome struggles and challenges in one’s life. It has the feminist essence that a woman can be more than just a mother and wife and, stand up for herself when the time comes. Hend Sabry does not let down reprising in her role as Ola as she constantly breaks the fourth wall to convey to the audience what she feels. Yes, much like Fleabag.

Yet there is a little hesitation to call this show as grand as its predecessor. The comedy is quirky and offbeat, however, it sometimes comes off as Ola being dismissive of her feelings of sadness. There are moments when the deadpan comic timings lack the essence to stand out and, rather seems like a product of a badly written script.

Finding Ola: Final Verdict

Overall, Netflix’s latest release Finding Ola is a quick, fun, binge-worthy watch that helps you reflect on yourself through a fictional character. It gets to the point and does not stretch out unnecessarily. However, it isn’t as deep and engaging as one would like it to be. The actors, however, are perfect in their roles making all the characters memorable and effective.

You can now stream all the six episodes of Finding Ola on Netflix. You can read a piece of more detailed news on the plot and other details by clicking here.

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