Hob El Banat: More than a Simple Romcom

Hob El Banat was released almost 20 years ago and still holds up as one of the most beloved movies that came into Egyptian cinema. From hilarious back and forth between the characters to the plot that goes from the simple to the complex, Hob El Banat is a movie that explores grief, lost love, healing from traumas, and the power of sisterhood. 

 

When people comment on Hob El banat, they usually speak of the funny moments and sassy dialogues said by Hanan Turk and Ashraf Abdelbaky, how Ahmed Barada sings “Nasyeny w ana Ganbak” and the Laila Elwi scene when she talks about Valentine’s Day, yet the movie is way deeper and sincere in its message and plot. With that in mind, here are the messages and themes the movie explores with great care.

 

Father Issues and Traumas 

 

Each of the sisters, Nada, Ghada, and Ro’aya, have traumatic experiences that are related to their father. Nada is the eldest who gave up the chance to be with her lover in order to look after her father, Ghada hates men because of the way her father treated her mother, Ro’aya never really felt a bond with her father and chose to live with her mother in London. 

The three sisters are in different stages of their lives yet they feel lost trying to navigate the world without their father. As his will stated that the three sisters must live together for a year so they can get their share of the inheritance, the sisters keep on bickering, fighting, and sharing their views of how they perceive their father. 

In the end, they realize that despite their differences, and the way their father treated them, his will was his way of redeeming himself and showing that he did them wrong and hopefully they can all become a loving family, something he wasn’t able to provide. 

Nada, Ghada, and Ro’aya have finally understood their father’s attempts to rectify the situation and accepted that despite his flaws, he loved them and through spending time with each other, they found strength in their bond and unity. 

 

Therapy is the Way of Healing the Past and Preparing for the Future 

 

It sounds strange on paper that the therapist next door, Dr. Moheeb is played by a comic actor, Ashraf Abdelbaky but that’s what the story needed. What Abdelbaky brings to the movie is a light comic relief yet he’s not a one-note character. Each of the sisters that goes to a therapy session with Dr.Moheeb and starts speaking up never underestimates their problems nor does he over exaggerate them. Dr. Moheeb listens and provides his input with ease, sincerity, and confidence, something that Abdelbaky delivers perfectly. 

The movie also never shames the characters for going to therapy, despite the movie being released in 2004 when the stigmatization of therapy and mental health was going strong, the movie does the opposite and shows that therapy is the way of healing the past and preparing for the future. In a way, the movie was ahead of its time when it comes to mental health and therapy. 

 

It’s not Hob El Banat, It’s Sister’s Love

 

While the movie largely deals with how the three sisters face troubles with their love life due to the issues of the past caused by their father’s trauma and the way he never fully gave love to the three of the women whom he married, the movie is more about loving yourself, loving your sisters and being able to forgive each other. Hob El Banat is not just a simple romcom, it gives three women characters with complex lives and challenges but they manage to come out on top because they know that they have their sisters to depend on. 

In the last act of the film. Dr.Moheeb says that what they truly needed was each other and he was right. The minute they realize the amount of love, respect, and care they have for each other, they unite and help each other heal, and reach their live goals.

 

 

In the end, Hob El Banat is a fun movie but with a lot of heart and lessons to be learned.