Our film tells the true story of Chris Rowland of New Jersey, who joined Twitter under the handle @stc, after his college nickname, St. Chris, gaining him thousands of Saudi followers by mistake. Chris takes a liking to the attention and immerses himself in Saudi culture. Over time, Chris's friends and family begin to lose him to strangers across the world. He’s picked up unusual habits, receives constant messages from foreigners and is consumed by a culture unfamiliar to those around him. After a heated intervention, Chris cuts himself off from everyone he knows. In his isolation, he embarks on a journey of self-reflection and realizes he has lost his identity. He then receives news of an STC expansion into Bahrain and Kuwait and concludes that his fixation will only worsen. Chris reunites with his family and finally agrees to relinquish his Twitter handle of 11 years.
Cultural / Context information for the jury
Some touches reflecting Chris’s immersion in Saudi culture are subtle (sandal, tissue box, pillow in his motel room) while others are quintessential Saudi. The song Chris is playing is a nostalgic Saudi song. The “Sabha” or rosery hanging off a tilted mirror is a distinct Saudi stereotype. Chris is dancing to “Sheilat”, traditional Saudi folk music. When Chris greets people in the parking lot, he’s wearing a “Farwa”, a traditional winter garb to protect against the desert cold. He goes in for a kiss on the shoulder, a gesture of extreme respect. During the intervention, Chris is holding “Tamees”, a popular bread in Saudi.
The language difference causes some confusion to those around Chris. The tweet Chris’s wife holds up is from someone asking for a link to STC’s prepaid “SAWA” package, which literally translates to “bouquet together”. In his basement, Chris is practicing pronouncing the Arabic letter “kh”.