‘Special Case’… Egyptian Drama about Autism

The two lead actors in the drama 'Special Case'. (photo credit to the production company)
The two lead actors in the drama 'Special Case'. (photo credit to the production company)
TT

‘Special Case’… Egyptian Drama about Autism

The two lead actors in the drama 'Special Case'. (photo credit to the production company)
The two lead actors in the drama 'Special Case'. (photo credit to the production company)

‘Special Case’ is a new Egyptian drama about people with autism and their social integration. The series has lured a wide audience and topped Google searches from its first episodes. People on social media have been asking about the story, autism syndromes and whether the main character is genuinely that smart.

Screening on ‘Watch It’ platform, the story revolves around Nadim, a young autistic lawyer who applies for a job at a law firm run by ‘Amani’, one of the best lawyers in Egypt, but she rejects him at first.

Nadim tells Amani that he graduated with the highest grades in his class, but wasn’t appointed at the university because he is “an unusual person”. However, despite the rejection, the autistic lawyer manages to solve a case that other lawyers failed to, which makes Amani realize his exceptional intelligence and hire him eventually.

The 10-episode series screens every Wednesday. It’s written by Mohab Tariq, directed by Abdelaziz el-Naggar, and starred by Ghada Adel, Taha Desouky, Hassan Abouelrouss and Ahmed Amin (honorary guest).

The director behind the drama believes that the work “shed lights on a tough topic in a simple way.” “Although ‘Special Case’ looks like a light social drama, it discusses a serious and sensitive topic that’s not commonly discussed in Egypt: people with disabilities,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“It showcases the life of Nadim ... that takes the viewers to a world of humanity and romance,” he added.

“People with autism are no different than ‘Nadim’. They are smart, disciplined, ambitious and emotional. They just have a ‘special case’ that merits respect and support,” Abdelaziz al-Naggar explained.

When asked about the scenes that made the people around Nadim laugh because of the way he speaks or behaves, Naggar said: “Those are part of the pragmatism and credibility of the work. The drama is not using comedy for sarcasm, but to express a sort of astonishment that stems from some people’s ignorance of autism, the uniqueness of those having it, their intelligence and remarkable precision. Autism is being different, not ill or shameful,” he noted.



Forecasts Warn of Possible Winter Storms across US during Thanksgiving Week

A drone view shows a damaged area, following the passing of Hurricane Helene, in Asheville, North Carolina, US, September 29, 2024. (Reuters)
A drone view shows a damaged area, following the passing of Hurricane Helene, in Asheville, North Carolina, US, September 29, 2024. (Reuters)
TT

Forecasts Warn of Possible Winter Storms across US during Thanksgiving Week

A drone view shows a damaged area, following the passing of Hurricane Helene, in Asheville, North Carolina, US, September 29, 2024. (Reuters)
A drone view shows a damaged area, following the passing of Hurricane Helene, in Asheville, North Carolina, US, September 29, 2024. (Reuters)

Forecasters through the US issued warnings that another round of winter weather could complicate travel leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday, while California and Washington state continue to recover from storm damage and power outages.
In California, where a person was found dead in a vehicle submerged in floodwaters on Saturday, authorities braced for more precipitation while grappling with flooding and small landslides from a previous storm. Thousands in the Pacific Northwest remained without power after multiple days in the dark.
The National Weather Service office in Sacramento, California, issued a winter storm warning for the state's Sierra Nevada for Saturday through Tuesday, with heavy snow expected at higher elevations and wind gusts potentially reaching 55 mph (88 kph). Total snowfall of roughly 4 feet (1.2 meters) was forecast, with the heaviest accumulations expected Monday and Tuesday.
The Midwest and Great Lakes regions will see rain and snow Monday and the East Coast will be the most impacted on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, forecasters said.
A low pressure system is forecast to bring rain to the Southeast early Thursday before heading to the Northeast. Areas from Boston to New York could see rain and strong winds, with snowfall possible in parts of northern New Hampshire, northern Maine and the Adirondacks. If the system tracks further inland, there could be less snow and more rain in the mountains, forecasters said.
Deadly 'bomb cyclone’ on West Coast Earlier this week, two people died when the storm arrived in the Pacific Northwest. Hundreds of thousands lost power, mostly in the Seattle area, before strong winds moved through Northern California. A rapidly intensifying “ bomb cyclone ” that hit the West Coast on Tuesday brought fierce winds that resulted in home and vehicle damage.
Rescue crews in Guerneville, California, recovered a body inside a vehicle bobbing in floodwaters around 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Sonoma County Sheriff’s Deputy Rob Dillion said, noting the deceased was presumed to be a victim of the storm but an autopsy had not yet been conducted.
Santa Rosa, California, saw its wettest three-day period on record with about 12.5 inches (32 centimeters) of rain by Friday evening, the National Weather Service in the Bay Area reported. Vineyards in nearby Windsor, California, were flooded on Saturday.
Tens of thousands without power in Seattle area Some 80,000 people in the Seattle area were still without electricity after this season’s strongest atmospheric river, a long plume of moisture that forms over an ocean and flows over land.
The power came back in the afternoon at Katie Skipper’s home in North Bend, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) east of Seattle, after being out since Tuesday. She was tired from taking cold showers, warming herself with a wood stove and using a generator to run the refrigerator, but Skipper said those inconveniences paled in comparison to the damage other people suffered, such as from fallen trees.
“That’s really sad and scary,” she said.
Northeast gets needed precipitation Another storm brought rain to New York and New Jersey, where rare wildfires have raged in recent weeks, and heavy snow to northeastern Pennsylvania. The precipitation was expected to help ease drought conditions after an exceptionally dry fall.
“It’s not going to be a drought buster, but it’s definitely going to help when all this melts,” said Bryan Greenblatt, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Binghamton, New York.
Heavy snow fell in northeastern Pennsylvania, including the Pocono Mountains. Higher elevations reported up to 17 inches (43 centimeters), with lesser accumulations in valley cities including Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. Less than 80,000 customers in 10 counties lost power.
Precipitation in West Virginia helped put a dent in the state’s worst drought in at least two decades and boosted ski resorts preparing to open their slopes in the weeks ahead.