Assal Eswed

I love how funny and real this movie is. the perfect movie to watch in a family gathering on a weekend.

Everyone is talking about the movie from the cinematic face, but none of them saw the real impact of this movie among Egyptian people, everyone believes that this movie was one of the major reasons that made the revolution of 25th January 2011, the obvious contrast in dealing with people whether they are Egyptian citizens or foreign tourists that was shown to people made people realise that they have a lot of lost rights, though there is a heartwarming vibe about Egypt and Egyptian family which inspired them to the title of the movie (Asal Eswed) which means dark honey or (Bittersweet) and that reflects the massage of the movie.

When I was a child, I thought that this movie was a kind of comedy.. but it appears to be telling the real life of how Egyptians live and what are the differences between them and the other developing countries. Which turned that smiling face into a non-reaction one.

We attended Asal Eswed at a Maadi movie house around June 2010. I will never forget that the large audience watched attentively, laughed unanimously and behaved in an unusually mature way for local cinema goers. The film addresses real issues in an honest and refreshing way and is very funny and poignant also. As it preceded the revolution by about six months, it was in my mind later on that this film was one of the first signs that we were looking at a time of change in Egypt, so badly needed.

My 95 year old mother stood and wept at the end of the movie and declared that whoever made this film deserved a prize. I have watched this film several times and never tire of it, it is a classic, I believe, very relevant to us Egyptians and deeply meaningful. The traffic scene is wonderfully evocative of Egypt, as are many cameo moments, for example with the cassette/GPS repair man. The moment when the Egyptian passport is catapulted out of a hotel window is inspirational !

The film expresses the deep longings and frustrations of Egyptians desiring a freer happier life for themselves. Thank you Ahmed Helmy for this superb sincere film.

I've been watching this movie since I was back home in Iraq, now I'm in the US and relate so much to it. Hilarious, and heartwarming!