10:46AM
Heliopolis
Ursula Lindsey
Hanan MotaweOn Thursday evening, I went to the (very crowded) premiere of the new film Heliopolis--the Egyptian entry in the Arab film competition at the Cairo International Film Festival. The film is the first feature by Ahmad Abdalla, who was the editor on Ibrahim Al Battout's Ain Shems. Like Battout's film, Heliopolis is independent, in the sense that it was made on a shoestring, with actors and crew volunteering their time (unlike Ain Shems, it did get the Censor's approval before starting to shoot).
My impressions after the jump...
The film stars some well-known actors like Khaled Abul Naga and some relative unknowns. It follows five parallel stories in contemporary Heliopolis. There is a university student doing research on the neighborhood; an engaged couple looking for appliances and an apartment; a Christian man thinking about emigrating to join his mother and brother; a hotel receptionist whose family thinks she's working abroad; and a conscript sitting all day in his guard box.
When I spoke to him last week, Abdalla told me the film was about people "whose lives don't change." None of the characters advance towards their goals, and several of them describe their day as "wasted." The conscript--whose name we never learn, who never says a line, and who managers nonetheless to elicit our interest and our sympathy--is a particularly affecting example of this. (How many times have you walked past these poor kids scattered around official buildings like so much human baggage, dropped off from police trucks in the morning, and picked up late at night?) The theme of emigration, of wanting to be somewhere else, is linked to this sense of waste and present throughout--particularly in a surprising but effective dream sequence.
I was pleasantly surprised by Heliopolis. It's a slow film, and it doesn't try to do anything ground-breaking. But I appreciated the naturalistic dialogue, the smooth editing and plotting, the slow accumulation of details, and the mostly subtle treatment of its points. (There were a few good jokes, too).
Heliopolis is a cautious but polished effort by a first-time director. Some of the friends I saw the film with disagreed with me, but I thought it struck a convincing balance between its larger point about the stasis of Egyptian society and the need, nonetheless, for a narrative framework. I'd like to see Abdalla keep his understated style but tell a story where things do happen next time.
Reader Comments (5)
In spite of its slow pace, the film is great. I loved it, and not just because I live in Heliopolis. It must have been a challenge to make a film about characters that don't develop, something that defies all story writing rules. But the theme of time and lack of accomplishment made that decision stand out.
Like you,many of the people I spoke to afterwards said they didn't like the film. But the scenes they specified as the worst were actually my favorite. The relationship between the couple that run around the city is one example. Some hated the couple, but I thought the part where the woman says "el youm da3" or "the day was wasted" was heartbreaking.
I would agree with most of your points Arabist.
except this Abdullah thing :P
An Egyptian "Waiting for Godot"? "Waiting for Gadallah"? Shades of Naguib Mahfouz's existentialist novel Miramar me-thinks, but with a much more contemporary message about today's stuck-in-a-rut society, no opportunities except to leave. Same could be applied to many of my friends in Palestine, Jordan, or Morocco in addition to Egypt. Doubt I'll get a chance to see the film, but sounds like an interesting take, thanks for the overview.
My apologies, Ahmad, I have corrected the spelling of your name! I'm happy you found the blog, because I don't have your email. (By the way, I linked to the article I wrote on the festival--where you are also quoted, and I fear where I also miss-spell your last name--here on the blog). I really enjoyed the film. Elf mabrouk!
Like you,many of the people I spoke to afterwards said they didn't like the film. But the scenes they specified as the worst were actually my favorite. The relationship between the couple that run around the city is one example. Some hated the couple, but I thought the part where the woman says "el youm da3" or "the day was wasted" was heartbreaking.
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