The Exchange (2023)
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The Exchange (2023)
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Exchange is a Kuwaiti series (available dubbed in English) about two women in the late 1980s becoming the first women to successfully build a career in the Kuwaiti financial industry. It addresses patriarchal cultural norms, workplace sexism, corruption, violence against women, and other issues from a Kuwaiti point of view. Divorce and single parenthood are also themes. There are occasional strong words used, and cigarette smoking is constant. Luxury brands like Omega are occasionally visible.
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What's the Story?
Based on true events, THE EXCHANGE is a Kuwaiti series about two women who are the first to forge a successful career at the Kuwaiti Stock Exchange. It's 1987, and Farida (Rawan Mahdi) is a recent divorcee who's been out of the workforce for over a decade but needs to support herself and her teenage daughter without her ex-husband's money. She rekindles her relationship with her cousin Munira (Mona Hussain), a single woman who works as a clerk in the trading division of the Bank of Tomorrow. The cousins know they have the talent to excel in the Kuwaiti financial sector, and eventually decide to work together and prove themselves by becoming more successful than their male counterparts. But they also have to navigate patriarchal customs in their personal lives, as well as workplace sexism that includes broad attempts to keep them from succeeding. Nonetheless, Farida and Munira are good at math and strategy, and are committed to claiming their place in a profitable world dominated by men.
Is It Any Good?
The intriguing series tells the story of two fictitious female traders as a way of honoring the women who fought their way into Kuwait's financial industry in the 1980s. Set a few years before Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait, The Exchange highlights the many obstacles women faced (and in some cases continue to face) while navigating the cutthroat industry, including social customs, overt sexism, and corruption. The overall production lacks sophistication, and no doubt the English translation (in the dubbed version) takes away from some important cultural nuances. But The Exchange also offers an empowering narrative about what past generations of Kuwaiti women endured to break the glass ceiling in the financial world.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what it is like to live in Kuwait. How has it changed since 1987?
What are some common Western stereotypes about women living in the Middle East? Does The Exchange challenge them? Are the obstacles that Faradi and Munira face at the Kuwaiti Stock Exchange much different than the ones faced by women working in the financial industry in the United States?
TV Details
- Premiere date: February 8, 2023
- Cast: Mona Hussain, Rawan Mahdi
- Network: Netflix
- Genre: Drama
- Topics: Great Girl Role Models
- TV rating: TV-14
- Last updated: February 9, 2023
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