• محمد ألطيب
• 12:00 AM - 25 July 2008
• My Other Reviews

This production is the work of independent cinema which is a phenomenon that is relatively new in the Arab World. The film utilizes a presentation of the neighborhood of Heliopolis in Cairo to discusses the changes that have been taking place in Egyptian society. Thus, the work treats the theme of social change through several parallel storylines. The screenplay and the directing were done by Ahmed A’bd Allah who has restricted himself to a tiny portion of Heliopolis’ history – ignoring the greatest part of it. Moreover, Ahmed seems to have neglected some important aspects of the film, including the lighting and the montage – this was despite the fact that he has a background in computers. The performance of most of those who participated in the filming – with the notable exception of Khaled Abu Al Nagga – was weak and inadequate. This last point can also be attributed to the director’s failings. The production was a commercial failure despite the confidence of its makers. Critics have praised the work as a first step for independent cinema in the Arab World but they were nonetheless unsatisfied with the whole product due to its obvious shortcomings.

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