The Vile

Polygamy used to be commonplace in Abu Dhabi. It’s now found in only around one in ten households. Once considered a way of protecting women, it is now criticised by many women’s rights campaigners. It works for some people, but there is widespread opposition to it being treated as an obligation. Following extensive research with women who had experienced second wives being brought into their households, Majid Al Ansari decided to address some of their feelings through a horror film, but what emerged from that has much wider relevance as a study of relationship breakdown, abuse of power and the monstrous things that can come out of it.

When Amani (Bdoor Mohammed) opens her front door to find that husband Khaled (Jasem Alkharraz) has come home with a new, much younger wife completely out of the blue, she’s so distraught that all she can do is try to push the door shut again, screaming out her pain and hoping that it will all go away. Of course, it’s already far too late for that. Zahra (Sarah Taibah) has what Khaled wants more than anything else: she’s pregnant with a son. Amani and teenage daughter Noor (Iman Tarik) are told to get used to it. They just need time, Khaled assures his new bride. They will come to understand that there are advantages for everyone.

Around this time, the family’s pet canary dies. Both Amani and Noor have an uncomfortable feeling, as if something sinister has entered the house.

This did not begin as an unhappy family. Al Ansari is careful to show us the love that existed between them, with their large collection of family photographs, a home that really feels lived-in, and a warm, playful bond between mother and daughter. The point he is making is that this can happen to anyone. In a key scene, Amani finds flowers on the kitchen table, an overture of friendship from Zahra. The depth of that proffered friendship is illustrated by the giant pile of dirty dishes around the sink. The flowers are literally poisonous; she throws them in the bin. Amongst the dishes she finds a mug printed with a picture of her and Khaled, marked with a smear of red lipstick. Trying to scrub it clean, she breaks the mug and cuts her hand; she will need Zahra’s help to deal with the wound.

Zahra, whose name means flower, is repeatedly associated with plants; she puts down roots in the house and binds herself to it, growing increasingly secure as Amani, under intense pressure, finds her sanity beginning to crack. An extended dream sequence leaves us unsure of her ability to discern what is and isn’t real. As she struggles, her temper also fraying, Noor drifts away from her. She’s being bullied at school by girls who know about her family situation. Seeing an opportunity to bond, Zahra homes in on her and they spend a day together, like Glenn Close’s Alex and her rival’s child in Fatal Attraction, a film which Al Ansari references on more than one occasion.

The film twists about two thirds of the way through when Amani learns something that changes her perception of the new wife, but the revelations that follow are complicated by uncertainty as to who can be trusted. One might even begin to wonder if Noor is safe with her. Khaled, meanwhile, finds himself pushed to the fringes of the intensifying drama, increasingly ineffectual. Having overplayed his hand, he finds his authority fading. Amani is discovering her power to act independently, but where will it take her, and will she prioritise saving her family or herself?

Heavy layered with meaning, the film shifts uncertainly underfoot, deliberately discomfiting viewers. Mohammed has the kind of role than many actors would kill for, but fully justifies her presence, delivering a multi-layered performance that keeps us guessing but always feeling for her. Although there are a lot of other things going on – and a cataclysmic ending, at least for one character – the film is in many ways a character study focused on Amani. Her turmoil is in stark contrast to Zahra’s calm, superficially charming demeanour, making it easy for Khaled and incautious viewers to locate the problem in her and view her as the source of strife.

One of the outstanding works at this year’s Fantastic Fest, The Vile deserves serious attention.

Reviewed on: 25 Sep 2025