| ome people say it is a reflection of the world we are living in, while others long for the simplicity and cheerfulness of movies like El Zoga 13 (The Thirteenth Wife) and Afreet Meraty (My Wife’s Ghost). |
The debate is yet to be resolved, with one end of the spectrum arguing that movies were a means of entertainment and happy endings were always guaranteed, the other end claim it is time to tell it like it is — a plea to put an end to corruption and poverty. One thing is agreed upon by both: Egyptian movies are becoming more complex, controversial and definitely more real.
Reality Bites
Jaws dropped in awe and disbelief when the 2007 film Heya Fawda (This is Chaos) hit the country’s cinema. Co-directed by the late Youssef Chahine and his protégé, the veteran Khaled Youssef, Heya Fawda became the first local movie to publicly portray and thus denounce police corruption. Or any kind of corruption for that matter.
Building on the success of Heya Fawda, director Khaled Youssef did not waste any time and soon dropped another bombshell: his 2008 film Hena Maysara (When Things Get Better). This unflinching ‘in your face’ movie shone a light on the inhumane conditions that people living in slum areas have to endure and learn to live with.
Covering issues from bribery to prison torture to sexual harassment and extreme poverty, these two movies’ popularity paved the way for not only other prominent directors, but also up-and-coming ones to push the boundaries and give their audience much more to think about. Other highly influential movies that have helped stir things up include the 2006 Omarat Yacoubian (The Yacoubian Building) by director Marwan Hamed, the 2008 Hassan we Morkos (Hassan and Morkos) by director Ramy Emam and the 2009 Ibrahim Al Abyad, also by Hamed. And now we have 678, 2010’s most-talked-about movie by director Mohamed Diab.
With this growing number of avant-garde movies, one cannot help but wonder is this the latest trend? Is it the movie industry’s new “in” thing?
Renowned film critic Tarek El Shinnawy believes that it is not really a trend nor is it a new direction. “If you want to know what is mainstream and popular, just follow what genre the production companies are pouring their money into. Unless you have the figures to back you up, you cannot really say that such movies are becoming more mainstream.”
According to popular movie website www.egyfilm.com, out of the 28 movies produced in 2008, only four could be classified as “a movie with a serious cause.” The remaining movies were either romantic comedies or drama-action movies.
El Shinnawy explains that a movie’s topic is only one of several factors that garners a movie commercial success. Using Hena Maysara as an example, El Shinnawy says that despite its success, all the other movies that tackled the same topic have failed to succeed. “Creating a successful movie doesn’t only depend on its topic, but on the popularity of its cast and the quality of its directing and production as well.”
678 and Counting
The movie 678 ended and the lights came back on, but instead of rushing out before the exit became crowded, my friend and I slowly started heading towards the door, each of us lost in her own thoughts. And we were not the only ones. The audience all seemed to be engrossed, pondering the movie’s message. Everyone slowly walked towards the door in a somewhat organized queue, keeping their distance from one another, as the men held the doors for the women. Were we just waiting for a movie about sexual harassment to start thinking how much of a problem it really is?
Scriptwriter-turned-director Diab seems to have hit it off with his controversial movie 678, despite this being his first attempt at directing a movie. He says he spent one year interviewing women for his script and another year directing the film.
“As a scriptwriter, I am constantly on the lookout for new stories,” he explains. “I started talking to women and interviewing them and was surprised to discover just how much harassment affects their lives. Egypt is not the only country that suffers from harassment, but it is one of the countries in which the woman is always the first one to blame. I felt it was my duty to do something about.”
Based on true stories, the movie revolves around the lives of three young women from different social and economic backgrounds, exploring how their lives are turned into a nightmare after being exposed to sexual harassment. The women turn to each other for comfort and decide to take it upon themselves to punish the men.
Fayza — played by Bushra, who is also the executive producer of the movie — is a poor wife and mother who gets harassed on a daily basis, which turns her off of all men, including her husband (Bassem Samra). Seba, played by Nelly Karim, is a jewelry designer and life coach who gives women classes on how to deal with harassment; she meets Fayza when she enrolls in Seba’s class. After Seba is harassed during a football game, her husband (Ahmed El Fishawy) cannot stand to touch her anymore. Nahed El Sebaii plays Nelly, the first Egyptian female to file a complaint against her harasser.
Among the the main critisims faced by Diab and the cast are accusations that the film is defaming Egypt. “I am not out to ruin Egypt,” Diab says. “I am trying to solve a recurring problem, instead of burying my head in the sand.”
The topic and the well-written script are the main reasons behind the success of the movie, which was originally meant to be a short film. The scenes of 678 are powerful without being repulsive. Its only one drawback was that it seemed more like a documentary and not a feature film. El Shinnawy thinks that the movie, even though a hit for tackling such an important issue, was “too direct.”
Movie buffs either raved positively or did not want to go at all. “I liked it, but I felt that it could have been done better. It has a powerful and effective plot though,” says 19–year-old Salah Maged, an architecture major and an avid moviegoer.
“I haven’t seen it yet and I don’t think that I want to see it, at least for now,” says 26-year-old engineer Aly Mahmoud. “I have enough to worry about than to go to a movie that will give me more of a reason to get depressed.”
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Even though ‘movies with a cause’ are still not dominating our cinema screens, they are increasing, and not only is the audience’s response encouraging, so is the government’s. Yes, there does seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel.
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